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Commonspace.eu political editor said that the Azerbaijani position in the OSCE Permanent Council reflects a wider hardening of positions in international fora.

The visit of President Aliev to Brussels this week has been very positively assessed in both Brussels and Baku, however this relationship is not an automatic fit, and it will take time and effort on both sides for relations to develop to the qualitative higher level that the two sides want. But what is abundantly clear to both sides is that, this notwithstanding, Azerbaijan and the EU have much to benefit from a strong relationship, and also much to contribute.

The decision came following an official visit to Brussels by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev on Monday during which he met EU Council President Donald Tusk and other officials.

Azerbaijan and the European Union will start negotiations on a new agreement between them on Tuesday, after a successful visit of president Aliev to Brussels.

Commonspace.eu will be following the visit with a live blog starting Monday at 0800 Brussels Time / 1100 Baku time.

The results of the visit of President Ilham Aliev to Brussels will likely define relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan for the next decade.

The European parliament has voted overwhelmingly to support a measure that grants Georgians visa free travel to EU Schengen countries. The vote was 553 MEPs in favour, 66 against, and 28 abstained.

For Georgia this decision is a small step on a much longer journey. EU and NATO membership remain high on the agenda of the Georgian government, although there is also a realistic assessment that now may not be the time to push these forward. But with Georgians travelling freely in Europe that objective is now certainly one step closer.

Both countries have used the veto procedure to block aspects of the work of the OSCE, despite widespread frustration and consternation in the international community