The 18^th scheduled meeting of the bilateral Inter-Parliamentary Commission of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Federal Assembly of Russia went under the co-presidency of Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Ali Huseynli and Deputy Speaker of the RF Federation Council Galina Karelova on 22 November.

Ali Huseynli who also chairs our parliamentary Law Policy and State-Building Committee opened the meeting by bringing up the topic of dynamic advancement of the bilateral inter-parliamentary connexions. He said that the Milli Majlis considered it a matter of tremendous importance to promote the connexions also with the Russian federal subjects, and that our legislatures co-operated under the roofs of international organisations as well. The efforts of the leaders of the two states had had our partnership evolve into an alliance, added Mr Huseynli before praising the input that the parliaments of Azerbaijan and the RF had made to that evolution.

The co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission also spoke of the current state of affairs between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He made a point of saying that whilst Azerbaijan had honoured all the provisions of the Trilateral Declaration, Armenia was far from ever following suit.

Deputy Speaker of the RF Federation Council Galina Karelova, in turn, spoke up to describe Azerbaijan as a friendly state and a strategic partner to Russian Federation. The existing inter-legislature collaboration, economic interaction and humanitarian links between our countries matter when it comes to addressing many an issue, in the opinion of Mrs Karelova who mentioned, a propos, that the two-way diplomatic relations were turning thirty this year. Resting on friendship, the Russo-Azerbaijani relations will continue growing stronger and more advanced henceforth, according to Mrs Karelova.

The items on the agenda of the meeting were reviewed then; appropriate decisions were made. The ambassador of Azerbaijan in Moscow Polad Bulbuloglu talked about the Azerbaijani-Russian relations.

Bilateral co-operation, economic prospects, Azerbaijani-Russian trade and interaction in construction and agriculture were commented upon by the head of the Milli Majlis working group for inter-parliamentary connexions with RF Nizami Safarov, the group’s member Mikhail Zabelin and the Russian ambassador in Baku Mikhail Bocharnikov.

Member of the State Duma Kazbek Taysaev said that 2023 was to be the Year of Heydar Aliyev; events will be organised in many towns and provinces of Russia in this regard. Chairman of the State Duma Science and Education Committee Sergey Kabyshev who had linked up to the online meeting shared his thoughts about the co-operation between our countries in the academic and education fields.

Azerbaijani MP Emin Hajiyev and, on the Russian side, Ilyas Umakhanov, Alexander Bashkin, Anatoli Artamonov, Inna Svyatenko and Dmitri Savelyev put across their ideas regarding the two-way relations. Several appropriate proposals were made, too.

The participants of the 18^th scheduled meeting of the bilateral Inter-Parliamentary Commission of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Federal Assembly of Russia that had covered the whole of its agenda also included the Azerbaijani parliamentarians Agalar Valiyev, Azer Badamov, Rasim Musabekov, Arzu Naghiyev, Malik Hasanov and Sevinj Huseynova.

The Press and Public Relations Department  

The Milli Majlis