Signing of EU-Azerbaijan aviation agreement failed in BrusselsNovember 29, 2017 - 17:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Despite an earlier announcement by Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mahmud Mammadguliyev, the signing of the aviation agreement with the European Union in Brussels during the Eastern Partnership Summit on November 24 did not take place, Contact.az reports. Of the EaP countries, only Azerbaijan and Belarus did not sign such agreements, Georgia signed the deal in 2010, while Armenia did it during the Brussels summit. According to the agreement, which is the same for all the countries, all EU airlines will be able to fly directly to a given state from any point of the EU. The agreement removes all restrictions on prices and the number of weekly flights between that particular country and the EU. In other words, the country's aviation market should be open to the EU companies, and given the monopolistic nature of AZAL, the failure to sign the agreement is not surprising even for Azerbaijani media outlets. Under EU rules, the airport and the country's national carrier can't be controlled by one and the same person, as is the case with Azerbaijan. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |