BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 25. The partnership between the European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan can become more productive in the future, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at a press conference today in Baku, Trend reports.
"The EU is Azerbaijan’s main trade partner. Last year, the trade turnover with the EU reached approximately $20 billion.
Based on the mandate issued in 2016, negotiations on a new comprehensive agreement began in 2017. After several years of negotiations, an agreement was reached on nearly 90 percent of the issues, covering various aspects of the agreement. However, certain topics, mainly related to trade and the economy, remain unresolved.
In recent years, the cooperation process has experienced a certain stagnation. However, an agreement has been reached for both sides to take practical steps in the coming months to resolve the remaining open issues concerning the draft agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU. Additionally, given the time that has passed, the new realities in the region and globally, new potential areas of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, and the EU’s new plans for the region and Central Asia, we believe that the agreement can be further enriched," the minister said.
Bayramov further articulated that Azerbaijan has consistently positioned itself as a reliable partner with the EU over an extended period, especially within the energy domain.
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