News.az: EU expects promotion on associative agreement with Azerbaijan

The EU commissioner for European good neighborhood policy Stephan Fule expects achievements in the negotiations on the associative agreement with Azerbaijan at the Eastern Partnership summit in Lithuania last autumn.

“We hope to sign an associative agreement with Ukraine in Vilnius in November and also complete talks with Georgia, Moldova and Armenia and make a step forward in our talks with Azerbaijan”, the EU news service quotes Fule as saying at the meeting in Brussels.

The high-level meeting on discussion of the prospects of the Eastern partnership program was held before. It was attended by representatives of the EU and big international and European financial institutions.

The participants discussed the EU interaction with the Eastern partnership countries in anticipation of the summit in Vilnius, touched upon such important spheres, as energy, transport, as well as issues of regulation and business environment. Meanwhile, the reforms in Ukraine were a focus of discussions.

The association agreement, just like the talks on visa regime and readmission, are part of the EU Eastern Partnership program. The association agreement envisages economic preferences for Azerbaijan as a EU partner-country.

The negotiations are held in four main directions: policy, economy, human rights and democracy, as well as trade. In May of the last year the head of the EU delegation in Baku Roland Kobia announced that most part of the negotiation points has been coordinated.

In particular, the parties managed to agree on the sphere of education and youth policy, culture, transport, protection of consumers, tourism, science and technologies, economic dialogue, taxes and statistics, state finance management and environment.

The delay in the negotiation process is related to the fact that Azerbaijan is not the WTO member. It is one of the main requirements for the further progress of the trade and economic cooperation with EU, including creation of the comprehensive free trade area.

News.Az

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

The United States and Ukraine have signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump's administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid. Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped. Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

The United States and Ukraine have signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump's administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid. Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped. Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.