Azerbaijan does not intend to become an associated member of the EU

Azerbaijan does not intend to become an associated member of the European Union. According to Interfax, this said in an interview with one of the local television channels, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Novruz Mamedov. According to him, Baku suggested that the EU signed a partnership agreement.

“Such an agreement will reflect the level of bilateral cooperation and ensure mutual respect and equal rights of the parties,” said Mamedov.

The authorities of Azerbaijan have already informed the European Union that the associative agreement proposed by the EU will not be able to accept. "We want to prepare a document that more adequately meets the level of our relations and cooperation with the European Union," Mammadov said. He rejected the assertion that Azerbaijan’s refusal from associative membership is a consequence of pressure from Russia.

The order of the Ukrainian government to suspend the preparation process for the conclusion of an association agreement between Ukraine and the EU led to mass protests throughout the country.

"The European Union has always said that it would be ready to sign an association agreement - the most ambitious of such documents - if and when Ukraine is ready and, the EU always insisted that the final choice regarding the necessary reforms lies with Ukrainians. Taking into account how much has already been made on this path, we regretted the decision of the Ukrainian government ," said Lynas Lyncyavichis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.

Meanwhile, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Yanukovych, in a telephone conversation with Lithuania President Dalley Grybauskaite, said that Kyiv cannot sign an agreement with the European Union due to economic pressure and blackmail of Russia, Interfax reports with reference to the adviser to the President of the Lithuanian President Nyalupshene.

"Ukraine did not resist economic pressure and blackmail. It was threatened to limit the import of goods to Russia, especially the companies in Eastern Ukraine, where the main part of industry is concentrated in which hundreds of thousands of people are occupied. It is believed that Ukraine will incur billionaire losses. Such reasons for its decision were called by President Yanukovych during a telephone conversation with the president this week," said Nyalupshen.

The signing of the paraffin agreement on the Ukraine-European Union was to be held during the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on November 28-29. Plane plans for the association agreements and the free trade zone with Georgia and Moldova remain in force.