On 23 December, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to four Azerbaijani television channels where he spoke on the current state of negotiations for a new agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU, reported Turan.

Answering a question about the prospects of European integration, Aliyev said that negotiations are underway to conclude a bilateral agreement with the EU. “This agreement should meet the interests of both parties, otherwise it is not needed,” Aliyev categorically stated. He did not explain exactly what the interests in question were but added that the agreement should be between the "equal" parties and reflect the "national interests" of Azerbaijan.

According to him, 90% of the clauses of the future agreement are agreed upon, while the rest can be agreed upon under the conditions of “good will of the parties”.

One of the controversial points concerns the entry of Azerbaijan into the WTO. “I believe that the time [for this] has not yet come... If we join the WTO, then our industry and agriculture will face big problems. Our market can be filled by a large volume of cheap products,” Aliyev said. 

Another reason is the price of energy. It is proposed that the domestic and export gas prices be the same, which is absolutely unrealistic. At present, the domestic gas price for most consumers is around 100 manats, and the export price is several times higher. “If we start selling gas for export at an internal price of $58, this will cause enormous damage to the economy. On the other hand, if we raise the domestic price to 300-400 manats, this will make gas inaccessible to the population,” Aliyev said. 

“Without solving these two issues, the agreement will not be signed,” Aliyev emphasized. 

Answering a question about the prospects of the Eastern Partnership program, Aliyev expressed his scepticism in the program. According to the president, the members of this program have different foreign and domestic policies, national interests and the level of development. “How true is it to combine them in one program? Therefore, it is difficult to talk about the future of this program. We are not leaving this program, but we do not intend to actively participate in it,” Aliyev said. According to him, Azerbaijan proceeds from the fact that relations with European countries can be built on a bilateral basis and there are no restrictions for this.

Asked to explain the reasoning behind criticising Europe and the refusal of European integration during the speech on the 100th anniversary of Baku State University, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan’s entry into the European Union is "completely impossible." According to him, centrifugal forces have intensified in Europe, and that the issue of Brexit has appeared. There are no prospects for further enlargement of the European Union.

In addition, Aliyev drew parallels with the example of Turkey. “If Turkey is not accepted, will Azerbaijan be accepted? But even if they tell us that, at such a time, Azerbaijan will be admitted to the European Union, do we need this? Everyone sees what processes are going on in Europe in terms of religion, in the matter of moral values. We must openly say that this does not correspond to our moral values. Why should we hand over our independence and fall into someone’s subordination? We categorically say no to this,” he concluded

On 10 August, it was reported that the negotiations between Azerbaijan and the EU reached a deadlock as both sides expressed their concerns in regard to certain issue areas (Caucasus Watch reported). On 18 September, the Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev stated that the new partnership agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU will conclude after all the details had been negotiated. Hajiyev also stressed that relations between Azerbaijan and the EU are currently developing in all directions, regardless of whether the agreement is agreed or not (Caucasus Watch reported).