Baku: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev recently met with a European Union delegation headed by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The meeting took place on May 5 and focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the discussions recalled past meetings and highlighted Kallas’ 2025 visit to Azerbaijan, which laid the groundwork for fruitful conversations on expanding cooperation. Kaja Kallas conveyed greetings from Ant³nio Costa, President of the European Council, to which President Aliyev responded with his own greetings.
The meeting underscored the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU, as emphasized by Kallas. She pointed out the importance of a joint statement made during President Ant³nio Costa’s visit to Azerbaijan, which reinforced Azerbaijan’s role as a key partner of the European Union.
President Aliyev detailed the future cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan in sectors such as energy, connectivity, security, and trade. He highlighted that the EU is Azerbaijan’s main trading partner and emphasized Azerbaijan’s reliability in ensuring energy security for the EU. Notably, Azerbaijani natural gas has started reaching Germany and Austria, two additional EU member states.
The Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process was also discussed, with President Aliyev outlining the steps Azerbaijan has taken to further the peace agenda, including the lifting of transit cargo restrictions for Armenia. He also referenced his participation via video link in the recent 8th European Political Community Summit held in Yerevan as a historic event.
The meeting also covered the ongoing agenda of cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and other sectors. The EU’s support for Azerbaijan’s demining efforts was acknowledged, and the start of the TRIPP project was recognized as a significant opportunity for regional connectivity.
Both President Aliyev and Kaja Kallas explored the prospects of Azerbaijan-EU cooperation and other mutual interests during their discussions.