Azerbaijan, EU may soon complete negotiations on new agreement

By Trend

Azerbaijan and the EU may complete negotiations on a new agreement on strategic partnership in May, Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas said, Trend reports.

Speaking at a conference on "Strengthening the institutional and administrative capacity of the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Azerbaijan" on April 29, he said that last week negotiations on trade issues were held .

He added that a meeting dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership program will be held in Brussels in May.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of an agreement on partnership and cooperation that was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 1999.

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

Creation of a common aviation area is an initiative of the European Commission and aims to open and integrate aviation markets. This will lead to new opportunities for consumers and operators, and, most importantly, to high standards in terms of flight safety as well as air traffic management.