Information of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the participation of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries of the European Union and on the meeting with the EU Commissioner

On November 15, 2021, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov attended a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union's Eastern Partnership countries.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister told about the new realities in the region after the conflict, including ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the restoration of the fundamental rights of more than one million Azerbaijanis. He noted that sustainable peace, development and progress are the basis of Azerbaijan's future vision and, in particular, stressed the importance of the full implementation of the trilateral statements; it was stressed that we expect Armenia to respond to the steps taken by Azerbaijan in this direction.

It was brought to the attention of the meeting participants that the opening of all communications in the region, passing through the territory of Armenia and Azerbaijan, will have a significant impact on the growth of trade and transport traffic in favor of both these two countries and all countries of the region, as well as our partners, and the Zangezur corridor is an important initiative in this regard. It was noted that the Zangezur corridor, as an important component of the East-West transport corridor, will contribute to the EU's efforts to ensure reliable and safe logistics corridors within the Eastern Partnership and beyond.

Speaking about the restoration and reconstruction work carried out by Azerbaijan in the liberated areas, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that as a result, IDPs whose rights have been violated for many years, will return home in safety and with dignity. The Minister also drew attention to the threat of landmines in the liberated areas and stressed the need for Armenia to provide mine maps.

Minister stressed the importance of changing the EU's approach to the South Caucasus within the framework of the Eastern Neighborhood Policy in accordance with the new situation in the region, the needs and priorities of the post-conflict period.

It was noted that, at the new stage, post-conflict political and financial support, which includes measures for demining, opening communications, building confidence to establish good-neighborly relations between countries, are among the areas in which the EU can provide assistance. It was brought to the attention of the event participants that the initiatives put forward both within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and in the bilateral framework should be based on the principles of international law - sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, as provided in the document of a Global Strategy for the EU's Foreign and Security Policy.

After the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.

At the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the current state and prospects of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the EU, key priorities, as well as preparations for the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit.