European Commission hopes to finalize agreement with Azerbaijan in next 2 months

Trend:

The European Commission still hopes that it could conclude a new partnership agreement with Azerbaijan in the next two months, sources have told EURACTIV, Trend reports.

The source was clearly optimistic that an agreement was still possible during this Commission’s term, before 1 November.

Reportedly, the next round of talks will take place in September.

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.