Foreign

Home page

Foreign

European Commission Vice-President: One main obstacle for region to prosper is the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

28 November 2014 08:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. Vice President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maroš ŠefÄoviÄ's interview to APA

- How does the EU see the energy cooperation development with Azerbaijan, especially now, when the situation on the front line seems to be escalating?

- The EU engages in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus to support a stable and prosperous neighbourhood. One main obstacle for the region to prosper is the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which prevents Azerbaijan and the whole region from realising their full potential. The EU has appealed for restraint and further engagement of the sides in peaceful and constructive negotiations. Only political will and skilful diplomacy can bring a final solution to the NK-conflict. I believe a strong and prosperous South-Caucasus region will play an even more important role in the future as energy provider on the world stage.

- How can Azerbaijan and the EU work together to promote security for energy projects of Azerbaijan?

Our strategic Energy Partnership continues to serve as an outstanding example of a mutually beneficial co-operation. We are committed to further develop this engagement.

The EU is intent on doing its part in ensuring the success of the Southern Gas Corridor in partnership with Azerbaijan and other stakeholders. In this respect, the EU will also accelerate efforts to develop and open South-Eastern European markets for gas from Azerbaijan and other countries in the Caspian region. The interest of Azerbaijan to ensure the connectivity of the Southern Gas Corridor to the countries in South-East Europe, coincides with Europe's interests in the context of its energy security. Obviously, realizing the Southern Gas Corridor in time requires that all parties pledge their commitments to achieve the common goal.

In your point of view, what can Azerbaijan and the EU do for even closer cooperation and better results?

- Firstly, the EU applauds the current cooperation and the progress in implementing the Southern Gas Corridor since the Final Investment Decision on the Shah Deniz II field was taken last December. For the future, the EU wants to broaden and deepen its relationship with Azerbaijan even further. We want to negotiate a new bilateral agreement which is both strategic and concrete in scope. We have a very good foundation to build on for an even closer cooperation in numerous fields, including trade, investment and people to people contacts. The fact that I have made one of my first trips in my new capacity to Azerbaijan to talk about the future cooperation is also a sign of how much I value working even closer together with partners in Azerbaijan.