Baku, Azerbaijan, May 13
By Jamila Aliyeva - Trend:
The Eastern Partnership policy has created a format to discuss with 6 partner countries, including Azerbaijan the common goals to create a more stable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Malena Mard told Trend May 13.
"The EU believes our partnership with Azerbaijan to be of great importance," she said. "We are keen to continue to deepening and developing our relations in many different areas in the future, including economy and trade, people to people contacts and culture just to name a few."
The Eastern Partnership program is one of the two directions of EU neighborhood policy. It was worked out in 2004 to create stronger relations between EU and neighboring countries.
The first summit of the Eastern Partnership was held in 2009 in Prague (the Czech Republic), the second in Warsaw (Poland) in 2011 and the third summit - in Vilnius (Lithuania) in November 2013.
Furthermore, touching upon the 65th anniversary of the historic speech of then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950, Mard said that in this appeal, he called on the nations of Europe to unite and make war on European continent impossible.
Robert Schuman proposed in 1950 to unite the metallurgical, iron ore and coal mining industry of France and West Germany. The fulfillment of this proposal led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the precursor of the European Union. May 9, the day when Schuman put forward his proposal on behalf of the French government, is celebrated as the Europe Day, while Schuman himself is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
Mard said that 65 years later, his message of peace and unity is as relevant as ever.
"Schuman's appeal just five years after the end of the Second World War laid the foundations of what has become the European Union," said Mard. "Over the years our union has grown from six to twenty eight [countries] and become a very successful union in many different ways and indeed a most successful inclusive peace project."
Every member, big and small, old and new has a seat at the table and an equal voice, she added.
"Seeking win-win situations in an institutionalized common framework built on the rule of law and fundamental rights has proven to be the right recipe for us in the European Union," said Mard. "The EU stands ready to reach out to those who are interested in sharing our experience."
Edited by SI