Azerbaijan and EU Negotiate New Comprehensive Bilateral Agreement

Azerbaijani officials hosted a delegation from the EU Council Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Baku on October 1 to negotiate a new comprehensive bilateral agreement and renewed Partnership Priorities. The discussions focused on expanding cooperation into clean energy, digital transformation, innovation, and investment.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Presidential Aide and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department, characterized the partnership as strategically important and based on mutual respect. He emphasized Azerbaijan's role in European energy security and regional connectivity through the Middle Corridor. The security dialogue between the two parties has since transitioned into a Political and Security Dialogue format.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yalchin Rafiyev further detailed the partnership's focus on trade and transport, specifically citing the Port of Baku and the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway. Rafiyev and the EU delegation also discussed the peace agenda and the reconciliation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia following the Washington summit.