European Parliament head to visit Baku in May

A delegation of the European Parliament, headed by its president Jerzy Buzek  is expected to visit Baku in mid-May, EU ambassador to Azerbaijan Roland Kobia said.

European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton also plans to visit Azerbaijan , Kobia said. The visit is likely to be paid in summer.

The details of both visits have not been disclosed yet. Reportedly, Catherine Ashton and Jerzy Buzek will hold some meetings in Yerevan in May.

The EU has been cooperating with Azerbaijan since early 1990's. At present , the cooperation includes various fields: from the traditional partnership in energy and trade to a political dialogue, the projects in agriculture, justice, environment, education and culture.

The European Commission p resident Jose Manuel Barroso paid the official visit to Azerbaijan. The "Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor" was signed during the visit. T he EU representatives said that it will give impetus to further development of relations.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule first visited Baku in April 2010. The main item on his agenda was a meeting with Azerbaijani refugees.

Discussing the achievements and prospects of the Eastern Partnership program has the priority on the agenda of the EU officials in Azerbaijan.

The Eastern Partnership envisages the political and economic approximation of six post-Soviet states - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Armenia with the EU.


/Trend/