President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received an EU delegation led by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas in Baku on May 5, the Azerbaijani media reported.
Kaja Kallas emphasized the significance of the joint statement issued by President Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council António Costa during the latter's visit to Azerbaijan, underscoring the strategic nature of the Azerbaijan-EU partnership. She reaffirmed that Azerbaijan is an important partner of the EU.
Ilham Aliyev discussed the future of EU-Azerbaijan cooperation across several key sectors, including energy, connectivity, security, and trade.
The head of state highlighted that the European Union is Azerbaijan's primary trading partner and underscored Azerbaijan's role as a reliable partner for the EU in terms of energy security. In this regard, he noted that Azerbaijani natural gas has recently begun reaching two additional EU member states: Germany and Austria.
The conversation also turned to the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process. The head of state highlighted the steps undertaken by Azerbaijan to advance the peace agenda, noting the establishment of economic and trade ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The meeting emphasized that the current agenda between Azerbaijan and the European Union includes cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and other sectors.
During the conversation, the EU's support for Azerbaijan in demining efforts was commended, and it was noted that the commencement of the TRIPP project would create significant opportunities for regional connectivity.
