President Ilham Aliyev reviews Azerbaijan–EU partnership with Kaja Kallas PHOTO

On May 5, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan received an EU delegation led by Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.

During the conversation, the parties fondly recalled their previous meetings, noting that Kallas’ 2025 visit to Azerbaijan facilitated productive discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation, Azertag reports.

Kaja Kallas conveyed the greetings of President of the European Council António Costa to the head of state. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude and asked the High Representative to convey his greetings in return.

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. She noted that the document underscores the strategic nature of the partnership between Azerbaijan and the European Union, reaffirming that Azerbaijan is an important partner of the EU.

President 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. Specifically, he mentioned that Azerbaijan has unilaterally lifted restrictions on transit cargo destined for Armenia. The President’s participation via video link in the 8th European Political Community Summit held the previous day in Yerevan was hailed as a historic milestone.

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 European Union'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.

The head of state and Kaja Kallas discussed the prospects of Azerbaijan-EU cooperation and other matters of mutual interest.

By Aghakazim Guliyev