BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov took part in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries as part of a working visit to Brussels, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The meeting, chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borel, was also attended by the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement of the European Commission Oliver Varhelyi, as well as the foreign ministers of the member states of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership.
The event began with a speech by High Representative Joseph Borel and Commissioner Olivier Varhelyi.
The meeting discussed the current state of cooperation within the EaP, future prospects for EU relations with partner countries, and regional security issues.
In his speech during the event, Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the meeting is an important opportunity to consider cooperation within the EaP, as well as next steps.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that it is important that the priorities of the Eastern Partnership correspond to the realities of the region, as well as ongoing regional initiatives, and expressed confidence that this platform can make a positive contribution to EU cooperation with the region through the right approach and adaptation to modern trends in regional development.
It was said that in accordance with the EU-Central Asia Strategy, Azerbaijan fully supports and encourages cooperation with Central Asian partners, as well as their potential participation in relevant EaP activities, with the aim of expanding regional transport, energy and digital connections.
In his speech, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov touched upon the expanding potential of the Southern Gas Corridor, spoke about the supply of additional volumes of gas, as well as the potential export of green energy to Europe, our priorities, investments made by our country in the transition to green energy, as well as the importance of the Middle Corridor. It was noted that the digitalization of the Middle Corridor is important from the point of view of ensuring transparency and facilitating transit; digital transformation can become a horizontal priority within the EaP. The special importance of Azerbaijan's support for the COP29 chairmanship was emphasized.
In his speech, Jeyhun Bayramov also informed the meeting participants in detail about the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
It was emphasized that mutual recognition and respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity is the only path to sustainable peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus.
There was expressed concern that despite Azerbaijan's full and open expression of its legitimate concerns, some EU Member States continue to engage in inflammatory rhetoric and take unilateral steps.
It was said that the EU monitoring mission in Armenia did not achieve its stated goals of promoting confidence between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but was instead widely used as a propaganda tool against Azerbaijan. It was also noted that increasingly destabilizing initiatives, such as arming Armenia, including through the EU, undermine the authority of the EU as a “neutral mediator” and efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in general. It was noted that arming or otherwise exploiting one partner against another is in no way incompatible with the declared goals of the Eastern Partnership.
Taking into account the mentioned calls, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov once again called on all interested parties not to harm the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The meeting continued with speeches by the foreign ministers of other Eastern Partnership countries.