Remarks by President Donald Tusk after his meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

On the 6 February 2017, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk met the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Brussels. He made a statement after their meeting.

In this statement, he reminded that Azerbaijan is an important partner for the European Union. Azerbaijan is important for Europe's energy security and diversification of supplies. He insisted that the Southern Gas Corridor is a key priority for both sides.

During the meeting, they discussed how their strengthened cooperation would help modernise and diversify the Azerbaijani economy. They also dealt with the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. They discussed the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The status quo is unsustainable for the European Union. He also suggested that negotiations on a new EU-Azerbaijan agreement would be launched.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: EU-Azerbaijan relations http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-azerbaijan-relations-2/

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