Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend / The 8th meeting of the Council on Azerbaijan-European Union cooperation took place on 16 October, the Foreign Ministry said.
Mahmoud Mammadguliyev, the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister, presided over the meeting. Gunnar Vigand, acting Director, represented the European Director for East Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus, was also in attendance. Discussions centered on the European Neighborhoods Policy and action plan. The agenda of the session includes developments in the South Caucasus, as well as political and economic reforms in Azerbaijan, energy and transport, human rights and democratization and different issues of mutual interest.
It comes as the first meeting at this level held after the adoption of an action plan on European Neighborhood Policy by the Council, following the signing of a memorandum on strategic cooperation in the energy sector in November.
The meeting stressed upon the importance of strengthening political cooperation through political dialogue and consultations on security issues, affecting both sides' interests. Azerbaijan stressed the need for a rapid resolution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and international rule of law. It is necessary for the achievement of peace, security and stability in the region, the Azerbaijani representatives said.
As a result of the meeting the sides signed a protocol on the Agreement on partnership and cooperation to refer to the items of the Agreement on partnership and cooperation in the textile sphere following the expiration of the previous agreement.