BAKU, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan are interested in further strengthening economic relations, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Malena Mard said here on Thursday.
The EU envoy made the remarks on the sidelines of the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum in Baku.
"I think, this is a very clear signal that there is a large interest between the EU and Azerbaijan to even further enhance trade and economic cooperation," Mard said at the forum, which has brought together over 400 participants from over 300 companies.
Noting that the EU is the largest trade partner and a major investor in Azerbaijan, she voiced the EU's willingness to work with Azerbaijan.
Mard also said that the next round of talks on the new strategic partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan will take place in Baku on June 13-14.
"We have talks regularly ongoing. Already next week in Baku, I will have two delegations discussing the new agreement," she said.
The one-day EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum was organized by the Delegation of the EU to Azerbaijan in partnership with the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO).
The forum aims to provide the EU companies operating in Azerbaijan as well as the EU businesses interested in the Azerbaijani market with a professional platform where they can discuss the current business climate in the country and establish trusting business relationships.
This year's forum focused on the latest economic developments and reforms in Azerbaijan and highlighted such important areas as agriculture, environmental technologies, transport, logistics, ICT and electronic commerce.
The EU is Azerbaijan's biggest economic partner, representing 44 percent of its total trade and providing the largest share of foreign direct investment to the country.
