The President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel started a three-day tour of the South Caucasus States, where, together with the EU Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, he will head EU Troika meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
At the first meeting today, the EU representatives met Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Elmar Mamadjarov. The meeting opened with discussions on mutual relations, in which dr Rupel pointed out that such contacts come under the framework of the EU Neighborhood Policy. The EU is committed to promoting the stability of the whole Southern Caucasus region. To that end, the EU has just extended the term of office of its Special Representative for the Southern Caucasus. Dr Rupel stressed that the European Neighborhood Policy provides for many opportunities for the whole region and that the relevant action plan was an important way of encouraging political and economic reform in Azerbaijan. Successful implementation of the plan should help to significantly improve relations between the EU and Azerbaijan.
Dr Rupel also emphasised that respect for human rights and continued democratisation are core elements in the implementation of the neighborhood policy and also crucial aspects of high-quality reciprocal relations. Looking forward to the presidential elections this year, the EU urges the Azerbaijan authorities to further strengthen democracy, on the one hand, to consolidate mutual relations and, on the other, to ensure that the elections are held in a favorable political atmosphere.
The issue of Nagorno-Karabakh was also mentioned at the meeting. The EU considers the conflicts in this region to be the greatest obstacle to effective political and socio-economic reforms and development. The region's stability and security can be ensured only if these problems are resolved. Dr Rupel therefore invited the Azerbaijan authorities to continue diplomatic efforts to settle these conflicts.
At the close of the meeting, Minister Rupel explicitly drew attention to energy issues, with particular emphasis on the security of energy supplies. Since the European Union is interested in the diversification of energy supplies, Azerbaijan is in this regard an important partner country.
The President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, Dimitrij Rupel, and EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also attended the official ceremony on the occasion of the opening of the European Commission's representation office in Baku.
