Azerbaijan is in the moment of reflection about what the European Union’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) program gave and where it is going, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at the High-Level Ministerial Seminar on “A New Political vision for Eastern Partnership”.

Axar.az reports citing Trend.

“We hear various ideas, including some thoughts about expanding EaP or creating its institutional framework. Azerbaijan prefers the one-at-a-time approach,”
said the minister.

"What the next decade of EaP can bring; how attractive its instrument or mechanism will be for Azerbaijan; how a structured dialogue can be different from the previous kind of dialogue; will there be more commitments or real, tangible opportunities. It is absolutely obvious that we ask such questions and take a time to reflect on what the value-added was of EaP for Azerbaijan’s relations with EU for the past 10 years", Mammadyarov said.

Further, the minister touched upon Azerbaijan’s role in the implementation of Europe’s energy policy.

"Azerbaijan is often associated with oil and natural gas. I will try to bring a new element of the importance of our energy resources. First, because our natural gas is a much cleaner molecule of a fossil fuel than a pollutant coal. Second because our natural gas can serve as a perfect transition fuel for EU in its campaign to become more green, more energy-efficient. It is also about climate policy objectives. So, our gas pipeline to EU is a direct contributor to EU’s climate policy goals. See, it is both trade, connectivity (infrastructure), and environment issue.”

Mammadyarov noted that connectivity should be a driver for multilateral cooperation in EaP.