El Espanol: Azerbaijan determined to be perceived as EU's true friend

The Azerbaijani government is determined to be perceived as a true friend of the European Union.

According to Report, this is stated in an article by El Espanol titled "Tea drinking over a minefield overlooking Iran: a trip to Azerbaijan, the Caucasian friend of the EU".

The author of the article, having visited Azerbaijan, wrote not only about the beauty of the capital Baku but also about his impressions of visiting different regions of Azerbaijan, including the liberated territories.

It was noted that Baku often hosts important international events, including the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and Formula 1 races.

El Espanol's article also mentions a significant event this summer: in mid-July, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Baku to sign a memorandum of understanding between the European Union and Azerbaijan on a strategic partnership in the energy sphere. The document envisages at least a doubling of Azerbaijan's natural gas supply to Europe until 2027.

The author also visited the Khudaferin bridge and saw the border with Iran with his own eyes. According to the author, relations and trade were vibrant in the Middle Ages, but "fifteen stone arches with a history of more than 800 years - according to the books - hold nothing today". The shaky bridge between the two countries, the author explains, is evidence that "secular Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran have turned their backs on each other not just on religious and cultural issues".

The article draws attention to the fact that Azerbaijan continues to face the problem of mine danger in the liberated territories: "On the road to Karabakh, all we see is a huge space of land, warning signs - the letters of which we do not understand, although the clearing marks make everything clear - and frames, carefully driven into the ground and marked with stakes and ropes: here you can step on, here you better not step on. The mines are anti-tank, and if they explode, only memory will remain after your death."

Describing the reconstruction work in Karabakh in detail, the author notes that "huge bulldozers open up passageways for roads and railways under construction".

"Displaced people have the right to return to their land after such a long time, and the government is investing a lot in this," the article notes.