EU to broaden cooperation with Azerbaijan, says Malena Mard [UPDATE/PHOTO]

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

A new agreement to be signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan will help further strengthen and broaden the bilateral cooperation, said Malena Mard.

The head of the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan, told reporters on February 14 that the negotiations on the new agreement began during the Azerbaijani president’s recent visit to Brussels.

Azerbaijan and the EU have over the past decade implemented 47 twinning projects, said Mard, adding this cooperation will continue into the future. 

In November 2016, 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.

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.

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.

Azerbaijan has become a country of direct priority to the EU’s strategy in its wider neighborhood since the last enlargement of the European Union in 2007. Azerbaijan affects Europe’s interests, mainly in a regional energy strategy.