BAKU, June 14, (ITAR-TASS). Azerbaijan and the European Union have agreed to step up an agreement on Strategic Modernisation Partnership.
The agreement will “promote political and economic reforms in Azerbaijan, support deep and comprehensive democracy, and regional security and enhanced, sustainable economic growth and energy cooperation”.
The document is important for the European Union and Azerbaijan, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev on Saturday.
Barroso expressed hope that the agreement would be prepared soon.
The EU and Azerbaijan develop successful cooperation in the energy sector, he said.
Three years ago the two parties started the joint work on the Southern Gas Corridor project, an initiative for supplying gas to Europe from Caspian and Middle Eastern countries, Barroso said.
The EU is Azerbaijan’s major trade partner: 42% of the EU external trade accounts on Azerbaijan. The parties maintain cooperation in other fields, the European Commission chairman said.
All European programmes are opened for Azerbaijan, Barroso said.
He named bilateral programmes in education and healthcare.
Azerbaijan plays a constructive role in the global political dialogue, he said.