Azernews.Az

By Aynur Karimova

Azerbaijan and the European Union, the bilateral relations of which are at an important stage now, seek to continue their mutually beneficial cooperation in a new format.

The existence of mutual understanding and a firm legal base pave the way for the sides to bring their bilateral relations to the strategic level and expand the cooperation.

President Ilham Aliyev, who addressed a meeting with the EU delegation in Baku, voiced belief that Azerbaijan and the EU will elaborate a cooperation format for establishing long-term and fruitful partnership that will cover various fields.

Baku and the EU should define future plans of their collaboration, the president said at an expanded meeting with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU, Vice-President of the European Commission on February 29.

President Aliyev emphasized the importance of his discussions on future cooperation plans with EU Commissioner for the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn when they recently met in Munich.

Mogherini, in turn, said Azerbaijan is located in a complex region, underlining the significance of elevating the partnership between Baku and the EU to a strategic level to ensure the interests of both sides.

Azerbaijan and the EU regulate the bilateral relations on the basis of agreement on partnership and cooperation, which was signed in 1996. The EU is interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan, its important strategic partner in the region, mainly in energy sector, regional security and the rule of law.

Mogherini, speaking at a briefing after a meeting with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, said that the EU and Azerbaijan share common interests in developing bilateral relations and their main goal is to achieve a wide and comprehensive collaboration.

She believes that despite the existing difficulties in the relations, the sides are closer to realizing the importance of simultaneously developing the political and economic cooperation.

"Azerbaijan’s accession to the World Trade Organization can be an effective step, since it can intensify the country’s integration to the world economy," said the EU high representative. "Undoubtedly, this will make great contribution to reforming the country’s economy."

Mogherini further said that the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project is vital for EU’s energy strategy as this project ensures the further diversification of supply routes and makes it possible to intensify the political, economic and social relations with a number of partners in the region.

Azerbaijan-initiated Southern Gas Corridor project envisages the transportation of the gas extracted at the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas will make a 3,500 kilometer journey from the Caspian Sea into Europe.

The Southern Gas Corridor is set to change the energy map of the entire region, connecting gas supplies from the Caspian region to markets in Europe for the very first time.

The first gas supplies through the corridor to Georgia and Turkey are given a target date of late 2018. Gas deliveries to Europe are expected just over a year after the first gas is produced offshore in Azerbaijan.

Mogherini believes that the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Second Ministerial Meeting, which was held in Baku on February 29, is of significant importance that will contribute to the project’s implementation.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, for his part, highlighted the strategic cooperation agreement presented by Azerbaijan to the European Union, saying they exchanged views on the steps to be taken in this regard.

Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan is interested in signing a modernized strategic partnership agreement with the EU "in the shortest possible time."

The government submitted a modernized strategic partnership agreement to the EU in May 2015 as part of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga. Now, Azerbaijan expects to receive the EU Council's mandate to negotiate on a new agreement, which will determine the format of the future cooperation with the EU.

The draft agreement envisages the adjustment of Azerbaijan’s legislation and procedures to the EU’s most important international and trade norms and standards, which should lead to an improvement in the access of Azerbaijani goods to the EU markets.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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