Baku - APA. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed at the Prague summit on the 5th anniversary of the EU "Eastern Partnership". In his speech, the President said that Azerbaijan considers very important the last 5 years in terms of closer ties with the European institutions.
"Over the five years we realized reforms in political, economic and other spheres in the country. We had wide and constructive relations with the European Union member countries. The essence of these relations is changing, of course, for the better. We give great importance to political reforms and from this point of view; I think it is important to cooperate with the European Union. Democratic development, human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms are our priorities. We are modernizing our country. The current economic system should complement modern political system. In this sense, the EU shows a good example."
Azerbaijani President noted that a lot of work have been done in the economic sphere: " In the past 10 years Azerbaijan's economy was the fastest growing in the world and it has tripled . We were able to eliminate unemployment and poverty. Poverty in Azerbaijan is 5%. External debt is only eight per cent of total gross domestic product. According Davos World Economic Forum, the Azerbaijani economy occupies 39th place in the world for competitiveness. We are cooperating widely with the European institutions. This cooperation covers political, economic, commercial spheres, political changes and, of course, energy security issue. In this regard, the 2011th year was significant. At that time, President Barroso and I signed memorandum on strategic partnership in the energy sector in Baku, creating an opportunity for close cooperation. "
The Head of State noted that great achievements were reached in a short period: “In particular, one month after the Vilnius summit, we signed an agreement on the project of the XXI century, which is considered the largest infrastructure project in Europe, valued at $ 45 billion. Major investments will be done by Azerbaijan and our partners. Development of a major gas field "Shah Deniz", and the construction of the Trans-Anatolia and Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline will change the energy map of Europe. I think that a strong partnership between Europe and Azerbaijan should continue so that we can realize important mutually beneficial projects."
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