POLITICS
A third of the EU member states considers Azerbaijan as a strategic partner, Azerbaijani President
Baku, November 25, AZERTAC
"Azerbaijan actively develops relations with the European Union member countries in a bilateral format and has adopted strategic partnership declarations with nine member states. This means that a third of the member countries of the EU considers Azerbaijan as a strategic partner. This is a very important fact for a young independent country," said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed a plenary session of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels.
Noting that Azerbaijan continues its political and economic reforms policy, and attaches great importance to the development of democracy, and the protection of human rights, the head of state described the economic development as a strong foundation for independence. "When you are economically independent, of course, you can pursue a more independent foreign policy. The economy of Azerbaijan is rapidly developing. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased more than three times since 2004. We managed to reduce unemployment down to five per cent. The external debt is less than 20 per cent of GDP. We have good credit ratings. The Davos World Economic Forum has ranked the Azerbaijani economy 35th globally in terms of competitiveness," the head of state said.