Brussels, 05/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 5 December, the EU and the Republic of Azerbaijan officially signed their mobility partnership in Brussels. This will seal cooperation between Baku and the eight participating EU member states - France, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.
The mobility partnership takes the form of a discussion framework on issues of mobility and immigration, proposing ways for agreements both on visa facilitation and the readmission of migrants. Management measures for legal and labour immigration, the management of asylum seekers and of the fight against criminal networks will also be requested of Baku. Last week, the EU and Azerbaijan signed a visa facilitation agreement. The EU has signed mobility partnerships with Morocco, Georgia and Moldova, and is soon due to sign one with Tunisia (see EUROPE 10977). (SP/transl.fl)