Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament and the Parliament’s rapporteur on Azerbaijan within his working visit to Brussels
On February 18th, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with David McAlister, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Member of the European People’s Party from Germany, as well as Ms. Željana Zovko, the rapporteur on Azerbaijan and Member of the European People’s Party from Croatia.
During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the existing mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, including the ongoing negotiations on a new agreement that will form the legal basis for bilateral relations. In this context, the current status of trade negotiations and the recent meeting with the EU Commissioner for Trade were touched upon.
Discussions were also conducted on the topics of Azerbaijan's strategic partnership with Europe in the energy sphere, the Southern Gas Corridor and the prospects for its further expansion with new projects, and energy security-related issues.
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov briefed his interlocutors on the current state of negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as open discussions held with the participation of the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia within the Munich Security Conference. The importance of resolving the conflict in accordance with the requirements of the international community, including the relevant resolutions of the European Parliament, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders was emphasized.
The sides also spoke about the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. The Minister stated that these elections should be considered in the context of political and structural reforms carried out in the country, which indeed expressed the will of the people. It was noted that after the elections each complaint has been thoroughly investigated and the results in four constituencies have been canceled.
The sides also exchanged views on regional issues of mutual interest.
