EU,Azerbaijan to discuss joint airspace

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

The European Union is ready to start negotiations on joint airspace with Azerbaijan, said Malena Mard, the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, on April 1.

The issue of creating joint airspace between Azerbaijan and the EU will be discussed during the EU summit in Riga in May.

Mard said the sides did not discuss the issue last year, adding: "We are ready to start negotiations this year if Azerbaijan agrees”.

The creation of a joint airspace is an initiative of the European Commission. According to it, the division of airspace and its management will be common for most European countries.

A common aviation area between the EU and Azerbaijan may imply a gradual opening of markets and implementation of EU's regulations in the country.

Azerbaijan expressed its interest in a common aviation area agreement with the EU in 2011.

Priority areas are market-opening, freedom of establishment, equal conditions of competition and common rules in the areas of aviation safety, aviation security, air traffic management, social conditions and environmental protection.

The agreement offers future opportunities for the export of Azerbaijani goods to EU countries. Azerbaijan already enjoys duty-free export of several thousand types of commodities to EU countries, however, the quality of these goods is said to be a problem.

Azerbaijan and the EU have already simplified their visa agreement since September 2014. Under the new rule, issuing a visa will be carried out within 10 days with two days more or less in case of emergency. Meanwhile, the cost of an application will decrease to 35 euro for Azerbaijani citizens, and the list of required documents will be reduced for certain categories of the population.

Visa facilitation agreement contributes to the development of relations between the EU and Azerbaijani citizens.