BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 25. We warmly welcome the visit of the European Union’s High Representative to Azerbaijan following a nine-year hiatus, said the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Trend reports.
Speaking during a joint press conference with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, Bayramov called this an important opportunity for the development of bilateral relations.
“We positively welcome the visit of the EU’s High Representative to Azerbaijan after a nine-year break. We believe this visit is highly important in terms of the current state and future prospects of EU-Azerbaijan cooperation,” Bayramov said during a joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas.
"Today, following a nine-year hiatus, we warmly welcome the visit of the European Union’s High Representative to Azerbaijan. We view this visit as a significant opportunity to assess the current state of EU-Azerbaijan cooperation and to explore its future prospects. We held both one-on-one and extended meetings with Ms. Kaja Kallas, during which we engaged in constructive and meaningful discussions," he said.
According to Bayramov, the legal foundation for the documents governing relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union was laid in 1999 with the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements. Since 2017, negotiations on a new, comprehensive draft agreement have been underway, following the mandate issued in 2016."
“As a result of negotiations held over several years, agreement has been reached on nearly ninety percent of the issues covered by the agreement. Several topics, mainly related to trade and economic aspects, remain open. In recent years, some stagnation was observed in the process, and today, this is discussed. We agreed that both sides will take practical steps in the coming months to resume work on the agreement. Furthermore, we believe there is potential to enrich the agreement even further,” Bayramov added.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel