Riga Summit declaration hails Azerbaijan`s ‘particular’ role in energy security

Riga, May 23, AZERTAC The 4th Eastern Partnership Summit has ended in Riga with the adoption of the Declaration, in which participants of the summit applauded Azerbaijan`s role in ensuring energy security. The Declaration acknowledges a particular role played by Azerbaijan in the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor and the ongoing work on the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline, and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline and the TransAdriatic Pipeline. Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma emphasised, that "the Riga Summit demonstrated the EU's willingness and readiness to further develop strategically important relations with the Eastern Partnership countries". She drew attention to the fact that "the EU Member States are establishing a dialogue with each of the Eastern Partnership countries with the utmost seriousness, taking into account each country's specific characteristics and declared desires for cooperation with the EU". In addition to the framework of political relations, the promotion of economic, commercial and human contacts and cooperation is, according to the Prime Minister, another very important factor. "The Riga Summit is definitely to be viewed as an important event on the Latvian and European event map. I am convinced that the issues we have discussed today at the Summit will mark the direction of EaP policy development for the years to come, by promoting stability, security, prosperity and democracy in the EaP region. The Prime Minister welcomed the visa-free regime with one of the partner countries – Moldova – and congratulated Georgia and Ukraine on their active work to comply with requirements so that the Commission can deliver a positive assessment by the end of the year and then decide on a visa-free regime. The Head of the Latvian Government stressed that "over these past few days Riga, the capital city of Latvia, has hosted not only the Heads of State and Government of the EU countries but also representatives of NGOs and civil society from the Eastern Partnership countries, the media community and businesses. All these people-to-people contacts over three days of discussions and multi-level negotiations make a huge contribution to the future of the citizens of the European and Eastern Partnership countries and to their well-being". Laimdota Straujuma affirmed that “the Riga Summit clearly demonstrated that we are moving towards ever increasing mobility, the promotion of reforms and human contacts, the strengthening of institutions and good governance, economic cooperation and the development of regional infrastructure”.