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Informal meeting of the Eastern Partnership member countries' foreign ministers held in Baku
The 4th informal meeting of the Eastern Partnership member countries' foreign ministers was held in Azerbaijan’s capital.
The goal of the meeting is to discuss expansion of cooperation within the EaP and prospects of the program after the 2013 Vilnius Summit of member countries.
The meeting was attended by Azerbaijan’s foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Natalia Gherman, Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze, Belarus' Deputy Foreign Minister Yelena Kupchina, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Yelena Zerkal, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule and Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs in the EU's European External Action Service Helga Schmid.
Addressing the participants, Elmar Mammadyarov said the meeting would promote exchange of views on expansion of cooperation among the participating countries.
At the press conference held after the meeting, Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the fruitful and interesting discussions, adding that the participants have also focused on the forthcoming Eastern Partnership summit due next year in Riga, capital of Latvia.
European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said the meeting saw discussions on the latest political processes. “European Union stands ready to cooperate with each of the participating country n the frame of Eastern Partnership program”, he underlined. “Independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of these countries are very important for us”.
“Azerbaijan is an important partner for the European Union”, Fule stressed.
Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs in the EU's European External Action Service Helga Schmid said the attendees had large exchange of views on the questions related to security and foreign policy, expressed hope the discussions would give effective results.