Azernews.Az

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has said on a visit to Baku that deepening the EU’s cooperation with Azerbaijan has special importance and it should meet the interests of both sides.

Ashton told a news conference Monday that Azerbaijan is of tremendous importance as the regional leader, and the EU’s cooperation with Baku should build on internationally recognized and mutually beneficial values.

"During my current visit to Azerbaijan, me and my Azerbaijani counterparts considered a number of issues concerning further development of these relations."

According to Ashton, the EU attaches great importance to democratic development and the protection of human rights in Azerbaijan.

She further stressed that the South Caucasus republic is a key energy partner for the 27-member bloc.

Ashton said her visit to Azerbaijan and the entire South Caucasus region shows how important the EU considers its cooperation with the regional countries.

On the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, Ashton said the EU is ready to assist in resolving the long-standing dispute, if necessary.

"The European Union, having appointed its special representative for Nagorno Karabakh, has already demonstrated its wish to be actively involved in the settlement of this conflict," Ashton said. "It is possible that at a certain stage, it will be necessary to conduct measures aimed at confidence-building between the conflict parties."

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told the press conference that during the talks with the EU foreign policy chief, the parties discussed issues of energy cooperation in the context of diversifying supplies of energy resources to Europe and ensuring energy security; further steps within the EU's Eastern Partnership program; and the ongoing talks to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Relations between the EU and Azerbaijan were established in 1990 with the launch of the European Commission's support for CIS countries in the framework of the TACIS program.

The EU and Azerbaijan signed a partnership agreement, which became effective in 1999. Cooperation has also been effective within the European Neighborhood Policy, initiated in 2003.

In May 2010 Azerbaijani-EU relations entered a new phase, within the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership Program initiated by Poland and Sweden.

The Eastern Partnership is aimed at the political and economic rapprochement of six post-Soviet states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus - and the EU. The program does not envision EU membership, but involves facilitating visa regulations, energy cooperation and the introduction of free trade zones.