President Aliyev: "Azerbaijan not to knock on NATO, EU door"

"Admission to any organisation is a two-sided process and it is necessary to take into consideration whether the organisation wants you to join it or not," the Azerbaijani head of state noted.

Aliyev recalled that Azerbaijan has a five-year cooperation programme with the European Union. "The partnership programme for us is not an attempt to ask them for something and say help," the president pointed out. "Maybe they (the European Union) will need us more than we them," Aliyev said.

Speaking about the Caspian the Azerbaijani leader said that Azerbaijan's agreement with Turkmenistan on the Caspian delimitation should be based "only on international norms and principles." He said, "Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate in this direction and hold talks."

Aliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan has already signed agreements on the division of the national sectors of the Caspian with Russia and Kazakhstan. "The negotiating process with Turkmenistan is at the zero point and with Iran the talks are held rather intensively and permanent consultations are underway," the Azerbaijani president said.

Aliyev believes that "the already existing format of agreements" between Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan "may and should be put in the foundation of the comprehensive Caspian delimitation agreement." Itar-Tass