Baku urges EU to fulfill commitments to support Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 23 / Trend / Baku urged the EU to fulfill the obligations undertaken by the organization to support Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are reflected in the Action Plan on the European Neighbourhood Policy adopted in 2006. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov voiced this appeal at the fourth meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership in Brussels, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said today. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister stressed that the prospects for a dialogue between Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as the achievement of real progress at the negotiations on the Association Agreement are possible in the implementation of the principles of mutual trust and partnership. Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is interested in the development of equitable and strategic partnership with the EU. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister also said that the decisions on the Southern Gas Corridor will open wide opportunities to ensure Europe's energy security, as well as political and economic cooperation with the EU. He also stressed that the negotiations on visa regime facilitation and readmission agreement are being finalized between the EU and Azerbaijan. The signing of these documents before the summit of heads of states in Vilnius is important. Relations between Azerbaijan and the EU are based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1996 in Luxembourg that came into force in 1999. In 2009, the EU foreign ministers gave the European Commission a mandate to start negotiations on the conclusion of bilateral association agreements between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia on the one hand, and the EU on the other. These agreements will serve as a new practical instrument to replace bilateral action plans. Azerbaijan is also a part of the EU Eastern Partnership Programme adopted at the initiative of Poland and Sweden and approved at the EU summit in Brussels in 2008. The purpose of the programme is to achieve convergence between the EU and Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. It provides for a significant increase in the level of political engagement, broad integration of former Soviet republics in the EU economy, increasing the amount of financial assistance and strengthening energy security. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az