(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 19. Relations between
Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) are built on the principles
of equal partnership and mutual benefit, common interests,
political expert Elchin Mirzabayli told Trend .
According to Mirzabayli, the development of cooperation with the
EU in various fields has been one of the priorities of Azerbaijan's
foreign policy for many years.
He noted that relations between Azerbaijan and the EU are based
on fundamental norms and principles of international law, such as
territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and inviolability
of borders.
'It's no coincidence that these principles were laid down as the
main directions regulating the bilateral relations in the
'Priorities of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership' document, signed in
Brussels in 2018 and extended in 2021 by mutual agreement of the
parties until 2024,” the expert also said.
“As it's known, for several years, work has been underway on a
new bilateral agreement which will regulate long-term and
multifaceted relations between Azerbaijan and the EU,” he reminded.
“Official statements made in connection with the agreement on a
significant part of the priority areas which will be included in
the agreement suggest that this process will soon be completed and
a new stage of relations will begin.”
“The European Union is the main trade and export partner of
Azerbaijan. In 2021, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the
EU exceeded $15 billion,” Mirzabayli further reminded.“According
to a survey conducted with the financial support of the European
Union, 80 percent of the EU companies represented in our country
expressed their intention to choose Azerbaijan for economic
activity, and 53 percent announced their intention to expand their
business in our country.”
“In 2021, Azerbaijani exports to the EU countries amounted to
$6.8 billion. In the same year, up to 70 percent of Azerbaijani oil
exports fell on the EU countries. Last year, through the TAP gas
pipeline 8.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas were exported to
Europe, and from January through June 2022 - 5.4 billion cubic
meters,' he added.
“Along with traditional energy resources, one of the topics
discussed between Azerbaijan and the EU is the export of 'green'
electricity from our country to Europe. The projects implemented in
our country in this direction give reason to say that Azerbaijan
will become one of the key partners of the European Union in the
field of green energy,” the expert said.
“Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic
partnership between the European Union and Azerbaijan in the energy
sector during the visit of the European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen to Baku allows us to say that the cooperation of the
parties in the energy sector will expand and cover new areas,”
Mirzabayli pointed out.
“At the same time, it's necessary to emphasize the inclusion of
the parties' obligations to respect and support the territorial
integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders,
independence and sovereignty of each other into the memorandum of
understanding. This factor once again confirms that the above
principles are extremely important for Azerbaijan,' he
concluded.
MENAFN19072022000187011040ID1104552417
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.