Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The working group of the EU Council continues discussions on a mandate for a new agreement with Azerbaijan.

This was stated in a statement of EU representative regarding the issuance of a mandate for negotiations on the signing of EU-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Agreement.

The statement reads that discussions are underway on the mandate, agreed by the European Commission in early 2016, with a view to start negotiations on the new agreement, which provides for the replacement of the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation signed with Azerbaijan in 1996.

“This brings to the fore the policy of individual approach, discussed recently within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy. Azerbaijan is an important partner of the EU, and we hope to begin negotiations on a new agreement with Azerbaijan soon,” the statement said.

The EU and Azerbaijan are maintaining relations under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999.

Since then the PCA has provided the legal framework for EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations in the areas of political dialogue, trade, investment, economic, legislative and cultural cooperation.

Azerbaijan is also included in the EU program on "Eastern Partnership" adopted on the initiative of Poland and Sweden and approved at the EU summit in Brussels in 2008.

Azerbaijan has become a country of direct priority to the EU’s strategy in its wider neighborhood since the last enlargement of the European Union in 2007. Although over the past year and a half, the bilateral relations between the two sides saw tense period, still Azerbaijan affects Europe’s interests, mainly in a regional energy strategy.

Baku, relying on its economic and diplomatic policy, seeks a strategic partnership with the EU and introduced a draft EU-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Agreement in Riga Eastern Partnership Summit.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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