Azerbaijan, EU discuss new agreement in Brussels

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

A delegation of Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary Committee on international and inter-parliamentary relations headed by Chairman Samad Seyidov is on a working visit to Brussels to discuss a new agreement between the EU and country.

The first meeting of the delegation was held with Sajjad Karim, the co-chair of EU-Azerbaijan PCC and head of the EP delegation.

The parties discussed the situation in the South Caucasus, the ways of developing cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Azerbaijani Parliament, exchanged views on a new agreement on cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Co-chairman of the inter-parliamentary cooperation committee of Azerbaijan Javanshir Feyziyev, Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PA Euronest Fuad Muradov and Chief Consultant of the International Relations Department of the Parliament Babek Agayev took part in the meeting.

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 first meeting on a new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan was held in Brussels on February 7, 2017.

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.

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.