European Commission official: We are in new era of cooperation with Azerbaijan -INTERVIEW

The Director-General of the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of European Commission Gert Jan Koopman’s interview with APA

– 10 member states have joined the initiative of demining in Azerbaijan, but the European Union has 27 members. Can we expect the number of states joining the project to increase shortly?

– This is just a beginning and I hope that EU’s more members will contribute to this initiative.

Don’t forget that on April 4, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had a phone conversation and today is May 3 and this initiative was launched in less than a month. As I noted, this is still a beginning and I’m sure that more member states will join to this initiative and we will take it forward. Of course, I cannot predict now exactly how many states will join.

– The landmine threat was discussed at today's event and it’s clear that in order to get rid of this threat, joining the Ottawa Convention is important. Can the EU encourage former conflict parties to join this Convention?

– Of course, ultimately, joining to the Ottawa Convention is the sovereign decision of countries. We can not force anyone to do this. However, we believe that joining this convention is a good idea and we encourage countries to do this. Of course, we are ready to provide any assistance in the direction of preparation of this process, for example, we can provide technical assistance for countries to prepare them to join the Convention and have the appropriate capacity to join the Convention, and we can invest in building skills.

– It is a widespread approach that trade and economic cooperation stimulates peace and reconciliation. In this sense, there is an example of the European Union. How do you think, can trade play a role in this sense in our region as well?

– You noted right that, EU was formed on the concept of trade. This really is a point I am interested in. Countries can do it themselves and of course, we also can help the connection of countries in the region, including Georgia. We can connect the region with the EU through the project we call the Middle Corridor. Furthermore, cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership should also be mentioned. All these promise a future. We see the Port of Baku ahead; its potential is known. However, at the same time, this region as a whole is located in an important position for energy, trade, and digitization. As the EU, the trade corridor to the Central Asian countries and China is very interesting for us. When investing in infrastructure, it is important to coordinate plans and ensure the participation of various parties.

The regulations, ease of customs process and smooth trade process provide a high level of assurance. As the EU side, we are very interested in working with this region, cooperating and realizing the approach of trade bringing peace to the region.

- I would like to ask about the agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan. The parties have been discussing this agreement since 2017. Is there any update in this regard?

“I can say that we are in a new of cooperation with the region, Azerbaijan. I see that our ties are getting significantly stronger. And I believe that the partnership agreement should be approached precisely in this context. I believe that we are at the beginning of establishing closer relations between the EU and the region. I am eager to further contribute to this process.

– I would like to ask what’s happening in Georgia. How EU estimate what is happening in the country holding EU candidate status?

Actually, I was on a visit to Georgia yesterday. I had several meetings with governmental officials. Events happening in the country cause concern. They violence the protestors in the streets and squares.At the same time, a new legislation project suggested preventing Georgia’s integration into the EU.Reforms should be in some disciplines so let the integration boost, because the process has been very slow. We, as EU are interested in Georgia’s following this path. So, we are really open about it, now it's Georgia’s turn. There is still time to solve these problems and counteract these barriers on the way of Georgia’s integration. And we hope that it will be achieved.