Azerbaijan, Baku, May 20 / Trend , S. Agayeva/
As an independent state, Azerbaijan will build its relations with regional organizations solely in the national interest. "We do not make choices, we combine the cooperation within the CIS in cooperation with cooperation with the European Union," Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Political Analysis and Information Development Head Elnur Aslanov told Trend .
CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev has recently made a statement that the countries that are members of the CIS and those who wish to participate in the Eastern Partnership will have to choose where to go and how to act. "At this stage European Union would not be able to compensate for those losses, which the states may have in the case of participation in East Partnership and refusing cooperation within the CIS," Lebedev said.
"I would not consider this issue in the context of "or", but would prefer to look at the issue in the context of "and". We do not make choices, we combine the cooperation within the CIS with cooperation with the European Union," Aslanov said.
He said Azerbaijan has enormous potential which has not yet reached exhausted, so the way to a new quality of cooperation with regional structures opens the possibility to reveal our capacity and provides an impetus for the comprehensive development
Eastern Partnership is a program officially proposed by the European Union. It was presented by Foreign Minister of Poland to the Council on Foreign Relations together with Sweden May 26, 2008. The main purpose of the program is EU's rapprochement six former USSR countries which include Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Belarus. The program officially came into force at the summit of heads of EU member states in Prague on May 7.
"Azerbaijan is implementing multi-faceted foreign policy towards integration with the CIS, Euro-Atlantic organizations, and Islamic world and toward Turkic solidarity in its national interests. Naturally, the European direction of Azerbaijan's foreign policy is a priority," Aslanov said.
"But on the other hand, I would say that we have not imposed by anyone, but we are integrating with the organizations to the extent that these organizations are interested in us," Aslanov said. He added that the relationship is built on mutually beneficial and equal basis which is the key to long-term and fruitful cooperation. Consequently, no the difficulties are expected, he said.
"Azerbaijan is seeking to become an active part of the emerging new architecture of the Old World," he said.
He said Eastern Partnership offers participating countries the possibility of further integration with the European Union, which creates new opportunities for development in many spheres and to bring domestic standards in line with the European ones. "Is there a higher standard? No," he said.
Azerbaijan does not refuse to participate in CIS projects, but if you look at the dynamics of economic relations of countries, we can see that the cooperation with the CIS countries is at a sufficiently high level, Aslanov said.
"It is noticeable that there is a remarkable point in the statement regarding the fact that at this stage the relationship with the EU can not compensate for the loss, however, as indicated by the author himself, it is possible in the long run. In any case, Azerbaijan, as an independent state, will build its relations with regional organizations solely in the national interest," Aslanov said.