EU-Azerbaijan co-op to be discussed in Brussels
By Nigar Orujova
Brussels will host the fourth conference of the subcommittee on justice, security, human rights and democracy within the Azerbaijan - European Union cooperation on February 3-4.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reports the meeting is expected to discuss the projects on cooperation and its prospects.
It is also planned to discuss the implementation of the joint declaration on migration and mobility signed in December 2013.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev will head the delegation from the Azerbaijani government.
The EU and Azerbaijan are maintaining relations under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999.
Since then the PCA has provided the legal framework for EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations in the areas of political dialogue, trade, investment, economic, legislative and cultural cooperation.
Azerbaijan is also included in the EU program on "Eastern Partnership" adopted on the initiative of Poland and Sweden and approved at the EU summit in Brussels in 2008.
The goal of the program is the rapprochement between the EU and Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus. The program envisages significant increase in the level of political interaction, large integration of former Soviet republics into EU economy, increasing the volume of financial aid to them and strengthening the energy security.