Azernews.Az

Negotiations between Azerbaijan's government and the European Commission to sign an "association agreement" will resume in September, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev said Thursday.

"In September, video conferences will resume, which took place before the summer vacation," he told Trend news agency. "If needed, we will hold a plenary meeting, but there is no exact date yet. The work is ongoing through video conferencing."

The Association Agreement includes four dimensions -- political dialogue, including issues of security; justice and human rights; economic, social and humanitarian issues; and trade. Negotiations are underway on all these dimensions.

The last dimension will create future opportunities for the export of Azerbaijani goods to EU countries. According to the deputy minister, Azerbaijan has already enjoyed the benefits of duty-free export of several thousand types of products to EU countries, but, unfortunately, in this respect the main problem is the quality of goods.

Mammadguliyev said it is very important for Azerbaijan to draft a quality document that will cover all aspects of the country's cooperation with the EU.

Relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are maintained under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999. However, the government does not intend to extend the time of signing the Association Agreement, as it will create legal framework for further cooperation with the EU.

In 2009, foreign ministers of the EU countries authorized the EU Commission to start negotiations to conclude the EU bilateral association agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the three South Caucasus republics. These agreements will be a new practical instrument which will replace the bilateral action plans. Association membership of the regional countries in the EU is considered an effective stimulus for conflict resolution and domestic reforms.

The negotiations on association membership were launched in July 2010.

The EU intends to sign an agreement separately with each of the South Caucasus countries, and its content will depend on the depth of their cooperation with the EU. In addition, it is envisaged to sign a separate agreement on simplifying the visa regime with EU countries.