Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova who is in Antalya on a working visit for the 13^th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly met with Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mustafa Şentop on 9 January.

The leader of the Turkish legislature greeted the Azerbaijani counterpart cordially before voicing his considerations about the import of the items on the agenda of the current APA plenum, telling of the work Türkiye has done as chair of the Assembly and commenting on the APA contributions to inter-parliamentary co-operation.

Sahiba Gafarova thanked Mustafa Şentop for the hospitality extended to the Azerbaijani delegation and the successful conduct of the event, adding that the five-year chairmanship of the brotherly state in the APA had made a remarkable input in the work of this organisation. Mrs Gafarova said also that the items on the plenary agenda were devoted to the modern challenges and would promote expansion of inter-parliamentary co-operation. Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the two amiable and fraternal states, make a fruitful use of the opportunities emanating from this co-operation platform, in the opinion of Mrs Gafarova. Asia is a vast region, and its politico-economic potential is as vast, according to the leader of the Azerbaijani legislature.

The tremendous role of the two states’ leaders’ personal friendship in the Azerbaijani-Turkish fraternity, unity and strategic partnership having attained its current elevated level was stressed as the conversation unfolded. The two parliamentary speakers emphasised that the bilateral relations are expanding and intensifying in the inter-parliamentary dimension – as much as they are in all the other areas. Our legislative assemblies co-operate bilaterally as well as multilaterally, under the aegis of international organisations, in which connexion Turkey’s backing to the cause of broadening the operations of the Non-Aligned Movement’s Parliamentary Network was reiterated.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova recalled the statements that President Ilham Aliyev had made about Western Azerbaijan, adding that the Azerbaijanis who used to live in Armenia had been ousted from their native land even before the past conflict had broken out. History maps and annals prove beyond reasonable doubt that the modern Armenian State was established on the Azerbaijani soil originally and that Azerbaijanis had populated those areas throughout centuries. The  primordially Azerbaijani town of Erivan was declared Armenia’s capital in 1918. The Soviet authorities had Zangazur repudiated from Azerbaijan and attached to Armenia in 1920, which severed geographical ties between maintain Azerbaijan and her own province of Nakhchivan – as well as with Türkiye. The Azerbaijani population of those provinces suffered from several deportation onslaughts during the 20^th century until their ultimate exodus from there during 1988-1991. Mrs Gafarova expressed her adamance that the rights of western Azerbaijanis were going to be restored and that they would go back to their native lands.

Also, Sahiba Gafarova provided Mustafa Şentop with ample information about the environmental protest action on the Shusha-Khankendi motorway, Armenia’s on-going ecological terror in the Azerbaijani provinces, Armenia’s abusing the Lachin Road for military purposes, the continuing mining and other things.

The leader of the GNAT Mustafa Şentop remarked that Türkiye always supported Azerbaijan’s righteous cause, that Armenia’s provocative demeanour endangered peace and security in the region and that Azerbaijan made her national territory whole again, restored justice and got back what has always been hers by putting paid to the 30-year-long Armenian occupation. Armenia must do its duty, Mr Şentop pointed out.

Other matters of shared interest were discussed during the meeting too.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis