Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan is taking certain steps to achieve its admission to the European Union and the 27-member bloc hails these efforts, the EU envoy Alan Waddams has said.
He said that just like other countries seeking accession to the organization, the South Caucasus republic should, first of all, embrace European values and implement the EU`s requirements and projects.
Waddams said the EU was attaching great importance to the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), saying its key goal was to boost cooperation among neighboring states and fully establish good neighborliness relations.
"The EU`s key demand is for countries aspiring to become a member to be able to ensure stability, peace and development on their soil. This requires focusing on democracy and the rule of law as well as ensuring compliance with EU standards," Waddams said.
He emphasized that the Neighborhood Policy was facilitating Azerbaijan`s full integration into Europe.
The envoy said Azerbaijan should step up effort in introducing European values, ensuring free trade and reducing risks in the country.
Azerbaijan and the EU first established contractual relations in 1996 through the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which entered into force in 1999. The joint ENP Action Plan was adopted in November 2006 for a period of five years.