Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition
Wednesday
What Caused Failure of Aviation Agreement between Azerbaijan and EU
Baku / 29.11.17 / Turan: Despite the expected signing of an aviation
agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union in Brussels during
the Eastern Partnership summit on November 24, which had been
announced by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mahmud
Mammadguliyev, that did not take place.
Of the Eastern Partnership program participants, only Azerbaijan and
Belarus have not signed such an agreement. From the Caucasus
countries, Georgia signed an aviation agreement in 2010, and Armenia
signed it during the Brussels summit.
It should be noted that this agreement is standard for the Eastern
Partnership countries. For example, the agreement with Georgia on a
single airspace provides for the development of a common aviation
space between Georgia and the EU within two years after its signing on
the basis of rules in the fields of flight and aviation security.
Georgia will harmonize its legislation with the European standards and
aviation regulations in such areas as flight safety, the environment,
consumer protection, air traffic management, and economic regulation.
According to the signed agreement, all the EU airlines will be able to
fly direct to Georgia from any point of the EU, like Georgian air
carriers. The agreement will remove all restrictions on prices and the
number of weekly flights between Georgia 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 of
signing the agreement for some reason is not surprising.
First, the EU would not agree with the monopoly on the part of the
national air carrier, and the treaty, as in the cases with Georgia and
Armenia, would say about open airspace.
On the other hand, given the anti-protectionist policy of the EU, it
is unlikely that Brussels will agree with the continuation of state
subsidies for AZAL. It should be noted that only direct subsidies for
AZAL from the state budget are 10 million manat a year.
The EU also prohibits the concentration of the airport and the
national carrier in one hand, which is observed in Azerbaijan. Turan
previously repeatedly wrote that the airport should be separated from
the air carrier and the head of the airport should be a person
independent of the President of AZAL, Jahangir Askerov
(https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.turan.az_ext_news_2017_-2D_free_markets_en&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=Q-2_kecyYw4EmtPEroYDpW-Z_kxj0kquwijwkWCmltA&s=eKhS6FqNPGLDNIrTMVQvsXggz6fHIZdev4RfwYH-r_A&e=
/118339.htm).
Negotiations with the EU are conducted by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs on behalf of the national government. And given the
possibility of AZAL"s pressure on the government, one can understand
why the agreement was not signed in Brussels.
AZAL will not agree with the access of European companies, especially
low-cost ones, to Azerbaijan"s airspace, as after that it would have
to yield in the price policy.
As a result, AZAL and its powerful leader have won. And the citizens
of Azerbaijan have lost, as they continue to face the price disgrace
of the national air carrier.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry,
Hikmet Hajiyev, in an interview with Turan said negotiations on the
agreement are continuing.
"The constructive negotiations are continuing between the parties. In
the final document of the summit there was also a reference to this
agreement," Hikmet Hajiyev said. -71D-
