Azerbaijan won’t sign EU association agreement: official

November 25, 2013 - 15:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Baku has no intention to become an EU associated member, the deputy chief of Azeri presidential administration said.

According to Novruz Mammadov, “we’ve already let them know that we won’t be able to accept the EU-proposed association agreement. We aim to draft a partnership agreement – a document more adequately reflecting the level of our relations and cooperation with the European Union.”

As Mammadov noted, the association agreement only sets terms the implementation of which would allow membership in the organization, Interfax said.

Vilnius will host the Eastern Partnership summit November 3; however, the list of parties to sign the EU association agreement hasn’t yet been finalized, Moldova being the only country confirmed to ink the deal. On September 3, Armenia voiced a decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union. Ukrainian government earlier announced it was halting plans to sign long-discussed trade and association deals with the European Union. Georgia plans t ink the deal in 2014.

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Eastern Partnership

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is the first comprehensive initiative introduced into the system of the European Union’s external relations, addressed to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The Eastern Partnership is designed to help the countries of Eastern Europe and South Caucasus with their approximation to and integration with the European Union. The EaP has injected a new quality into relations between the EU and the countries covered by the initiative through their gradual integration with the European Union.