Azerbaijan almost disrupts signing of Eastern Partnership summit final declaration
During the day news headlines dazzled with the reports that Azerbaijan refused to sign the final declaration of the summit of Eastern Partnership in Riga, citing the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.
“I don’t have the latest information, but the entire morning and even now during consultations Azerbaijan refuses to sign,” Schulz said when asked whether he could confirm that the delegation of that country refused to sign the declaration of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga.
However, later Azerbaijan conceded, and the document was signed. "Azerbaijan has made concessions to the EU by signing the declaration of the Riga summit of Eastern Partnership," the deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Novruz Mammadov told news agency Trend, commenting on the summit results.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, answering Wall Street Journal’s question about the delay in the process of agreeing upon the summit’s final document because of Azerbaijan's statements, and also that he had to call the President of Azerbaijan, declared that Azerbaijan needs good relations with Europe.
"As for various emotions around the declarations, the situation is, of course, difficult. There have been a lot of changes, but our intentions have not changed. I am fully satisfied with the results of the summit, despite the various difficulties in the elaboration process of the declaration," Donald Tusk summed up.
Meanwhile, in the European Union, there is no consensus on the further development of the Eastern Partnership program, the European Parliament president Martin Schulz said in Riga on Friday. "In this sense this summit was only an intermediate step, but nothing more. To me, it is good to have taken place. But Eastern Partnership with the countries like Azerbaijan and Belarus, whose internal structure is incompatible with the EU and our basic values, also aggravates the summit,’’ Schulz added.
The program Eastern Partnership provides political association and economic integration of the European Union with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The last three countries signed agreements on the associated partnership with the EU in 2014. A summit of the participating countries is held in Riga on May 21-22.
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