About 300 companies expected at Azerbaijan-EU forum: Mard

Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 18 By Anakhanum Hidayatova –Trend: The EU is aiming for participation of around 300 companies in the Azerbaijan-EU business forum to be held June 8 in Baku, said Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Malena Mard. The forum attendees will have the possibility to hear directly from businessmen about the business climate in Azerbaijan, she told reporters in Baku Apr. 18. “We are looking forward to seeing how we can support further reforms in Azerbaijan,” she added. Apart from that, Mard said the next negotiations on a new Azerbaijan-EU agreement on strategic partnership will be held in the coming week. The EU is ready to mull many subjects at the talks, according to her. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. The new agreement envisages the compliance of Azerbaijan’s legislation and procedures with the EU’s most important international trade norms and standards, which should lead to improvement of Azerbaijani goods’ access to the EU markets.