Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova and Chairman of the Parliament of Croatia Gordan Jandroković made press statements after a bilateral meeting on 8 October.

Saying that the official visit of the Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia to Azerbaijan was marked by a number of significant moments, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova firstly emphasised that this visit coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. On the other hand, it is the first visit and meeting at the level of Speakers of Parliament of the two countries in the 11 years past. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis stated that, in this sense, the visit of Gordan Jandroković’ will contribute to the further deepening of ties between our countries and our parliaments.

It was emphasised that the relations between Azerbaijan and Croatia which rest on the principles of friendship and mutual respect have developed in various spheres successfully over the past 30 years and have risen to the level of a strategic partnership. It was remarked that the active political dialogue between the two countries, visits at the top and high levels, regular contacts and, in particular, bilateral meetings of the Heads of State are of exceptional importance in terms of discussing matters of mutual interest and prospects for future co-operation.

The importance of co-operation between the Parliaments in deepening the relations was stressed, and it was mentioned that friendship groups operate in both parliaments as well as that delegations participate jointly in events organised by our Parliaments and in the work of a number of international parliamentary organisations. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, whilst underlining the presence of sound opportunities for further expansion of the ties between our Parliaments, said that Gordan Jandroković’s visit affirms our intention to make use of these opportunities. She let it be known that discussions had been held on various areas of the co-operation between the Parliaments during the meeting.

Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia Gordan Jandroković, too, recalled that this is the first meeting of Speakers of Parliament since 2014, and particularly stressed that the visit took place precisely this year, coinciding with the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. The Speaker of Parliament shared his favourable impressions from his meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the course of his visit to our country. Saying that Croatia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners and friendly countries which keep up an intensive political dialogue and maintain excellent economic ties, Gordan Jandroković observed that his country recognises and welcomes Azerbaijan’s outstanding economic achievements, as well as her important role not only in the South Caucasus but also beyond the region’s boundaries.

Telling also about the issues discussed at the meeting of the Speakers of Parliament, Chairman of Parliament Gordan Jandroković noted that it had incorporated an exchange of views on various aspects of our bilateral relations as well as on current geopolitical challenges and security crises, including the present state of the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to him, Croatia firmly supports the progress achieved thus far towards the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia said that they would like to devote special attention to strengthening of the co-operation between our legislative bodies further, and described this visit as evidence of the readiness of the Croatian Parliament to take new steps in this direction in the future. He also voiced his thoughts on the steps that could be taken in this regard.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis