Parliament speaker: Azerbaijan is keen to develop cooperation with EU

Baku, May 7, AZERTAC “Azerbaijan is interested in expanding cooperation with the European Union and is spare no efforts in this regard,” said chairman of the Milli Majlis Ogtay Asadov as he met with a delegation led by the Chairman of the European-Union Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Sajjad Karim. Asadov noted that the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee contributed to the restoration of relations between Azerbaijan and the European Parliament. He mentioned that this kind of mutual visits and meetings are of great importance. He underlined that cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU should be based on shared values. “Both sides are interested in expanding these ties and President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit held in Brussels in November 2017 is a clear evidence of Azerbaijan’s intention.” The speaker noted that the EU is Azerbaijan’ largest trade partner, adding that the already implemented Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines, as well as TANAP and TAP projects play a major role in ensuring Europe's energy security. Chairman of the European Union-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Sajjad Karim said that great progress has been achieved in bilateral relations after the meeting held two years ago. “Negotiations on a comprehensive agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan are still underway, and the work done over the past two years is of great importance, which facilitates the negotiations. We are always ready for an open dialogue with Azerbaijan and we are glad that Azerbaijan shares the same position,” the committee chairman added.