Envoy upbeat on expanding ties with Azerbaijan
By Sabina Mammadli
EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Peter Michalko expressed deep satisfaction with the dialogue actively developing between Baku and Brussels, Azernews reports.
The remarks were made on the sidelines of an event for the intellectual ‘How well do you know Europe?’ contest, dedicated to the European Year of Youth organized by the EU.
Noting the successfully developing cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU in the education sphere, the ambassador stated that the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan planned a number of events to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, within the framework of the European Year of Youth, such as EuroVillage, European Summer School and the EU Youth Competition.
"The union aims to increase participants' knowledge of Europe's history, values and culture by bringing together young people aged 14-26 from all regions of Azerbaijan, also encourage teamwork and the development of analytical skills,” he said.
Michalko added that only 66 candidates from 14 teams were allowed to participate in the competition out of about 555 applications received.
Further, he also touched on the recent visit of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Baku and European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
Talking about Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov's meeting with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Relations and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the ambassador noted that these meetings confirm the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.
"We greatly appreciate the developing dialogue between the sides," Michalko added.
On July 19, Azerbaijan and the European Commission signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation in the energy sector. The document was signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU and Azerbaijan are in active dialogue on increasing gas supplies amid the energy crisis. The EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation had reached a new level and is still deepening within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor. The EU places a high value on energy supply diversification, and the Southern Gas Corridor is particularly important in this regard.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
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