European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen begins her South Caucasus tour in Baku as the EU steps up engagement on regional stability, energy and connectivity, SİA informs, citing an article published by Euronews.
"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Tuesday, opening a two-day visit to the South Caucasus that underscored the European Union's growing strategic interest in the region as it seeks to strengthen energy security, transport links and regional stability," reads the article.
It was noted that Baku is the first stop of von der Leyen's regional tour before she travels to Armenia: "At a joint press conference following their talks, the two leaders focused on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and the broader strategic partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan."
Von der Leyen described Azerbaijan as a key partner for the 27-member bloc, highlighting its role in supporting Europe's energy security amid geopolitical uncertainty.
She said the EU's Global Gateway initiative would provide up to €200 million in grants for projects across the South Caucasus, with the potential to mobilize up to €2 billion in public and private investment.
European Commission President also announced a €20 million programme to support peace-building initiatives, including demining, healthcare, rural development and backing small and medium-sized enterprises.
The article quotes President Ilham Aliyev as saying relations with the European Commission had entered an unprecedented phase of engagement and pointing to a series of high-level visits between Brussels and Baku over the past year.
"We have a very active phase of relationship between the European Commission and Azerbaijan. This is unprecedented dynamism in our relationship, which reflects the mutual view of all sides to intensify our cooperation and to strengthen partnership," he said.
At the end of the article, it was emphasized that the parallel engagements reflect the EU's broader strategy to strengthen ties with the South Caucasus and Türkiye as Brussels seeks to deepen cooperation on energy, transport, economic resilience, and regional stability.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB