Johannes Hahn: European Union-Azerbaijan cooperation intensified

“Azerbaijan is a key partner of the European Union, and not only in the economic field where the EU remains by far the largest trade partner and also the largest investor in Azerbaijan”, European Commissioner (EU) for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said at the fifth edition of the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum, APA reports.

“I would like to highlight here that the European Union is not only the largest economic partner, but a trusted one that abides by the principles of market rules, transparency, open procurement and a level playing field for all investors, complying with established international norms and standards, respective international obligations, as well as the law of the countries benefitting from the projects, while taking into account their policies and individual situations,” said EU Commissioner.

According to him, over the past year, EU-Azerbaijan cooperation has intensified. “Let me highlight some important recent developments: We adopted Partnership Priorities in September 2018 which continue to guide and enhance our relations; We are moving ahead with negotiations on a Common Aviation Area Agreement and we hope to sign the agreement this year; We are close to the finishing line with our negotiations on a new bilateral agreement. This should bring our partnership – especially its economic dimension – to a higher level, for the direct benefits of all our citizens; In recent months we also launched the high-level Security and Transport dialogues.”