Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations noted an approximate time for completing the negotiations between Azerbaijan and the EU.

Making the remarks during a media roundtable held as part of the 4th Eastern Partnership Business Forum Digital Economy: Innovative Platform for Transparent Borderless Business in Tallinn, Hahn said that the talks on the new partnership agreement should be completed in a couple of months.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

"We are currently negotiating. It took some time to clarify the scope of this agreement. I am confident that it should be achieved within the next couple of months," added the commissioner.

As for the title of the new agreement, Hahn noted that it will be decided as a result of the negotiations. The title of the agreement is a message in its own, added the commissioner.

The first meeting on a new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan was held in Brussels on February 7, 2017.

Earlier, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev said that, this is a legal document that must be in force for 15 years, therefore, negotiations are conducted in a tense atmosphere.

He also noted we cannot be expected the signing of an agreement at the EU Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels on November 24.

“The talks began five months ago, in the summer there was a break, then negotiations resumed. Some issues are progressing in some negotiations, some issues still require discussion. Therefore, the allegations that the signing of the agreement will take place in Brussels do not correspond to reality,” he said.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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