The scheduled meeting in plenary in the spring session of the Milli Majlis held on 11 April began with the adoption of an 11-item agenda and continued as a discussion of the issues du jour.

Committee chair Ganira Pashayeva and MPs Tural Ganjaliyev, Bahrouz Maharramov, Sahib Aliyev, Razi Nurullayev, Kamal Jafarov, Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Elman Nasirov, Sabir Rustamkhanli, Aydin Mirzazade and Fazail Aghamali made speeches and commented on some of the current topics on the agenda. They talked about the new reality in our region after Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day-long Patriotic War and the insidious plans of those who cannot accept this victory against the country. Azerbaijan has a strong leader, a powerful army and a robust economy, and its ties with the influential international organisations it is a member of are growing stronger by the day, MPs said. The importance of integration within the Organisation of Turkic States, the substantial role of our country in the OTS and the strategic importance of the Shusha Declaration signed with Turkey were noted as well.

Furthermore, the MPs underscored President Ilham Aliyev’s special role in raising Azerbaijan’s collaboration with the Turkic states to a new level. They said that the president’s visit to Kazakhstan and the documents inked there were important for opening the Zangazur Corridor, and the projects under way on the instance of the Head of State, including the transport and logistical ones, were of utmost significance for Azerbaijan’s sustainable growth.

Consideration of the items on the agenda of the plenum followed.

First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Head of the Legal Policy and State-Building Committee Ali Huseynli presented the third reading of a set of amendments to the Law ‘On the Institution of the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Azerbaijan’ in connexion with the institution of the medal ‘Centenary (1923-2023) of Heydar Aliyev’. He said that the draft had been covered in detail at the first and second readings; there had been conceptual commentaries and appropriate proposals had been made, according to Mr Huseynli.

According to its statute, the new medal will be awarded to Azerbaijani citizens and overseas nationals as well as representatives of local and foreign government agencies and international organisations for a number of services, including popularisation and study of the legacy of Heydar Aliyev, contribution to nation-building, special services in national liberation movement, realisation of the idea of Azerbaijanism, development of peace, friendship between peoples and international co-operation, assistance to the maintenance and development of Azerbaijan’s state independence, improvement of progress and increasing the popularity of the country.

The Bill was passed by a third reading vote.

Head of the Natural Resources, Energy and Ecology Committee Sadig Gurbanov gave an overview of the (third-reading) amendments to the Electricity Act, informing the plenary that the draft had been reviewed in detail in the first and second readings, the questions raised had been answered as a matter of routine, and the document provided for technical changes on two counts.

This law regulates the relationship between electricity entities, consumers and public authorities operating in the power sector. This relationship is related to generation, storage, transmission, distribution, supply, import, export and consumption of electricity. In addition, the law defines the legal, economic and organisational framework of the sector.

The bill was passed in its third reading.

Member of the Legal Policy and State-Building Committee Amina Aghazade presented draft amendments to the Law on the Prosecutor's Office and the Law on Service in the Prosecution Bodies in their third reading. There had been no additional proposals on either bill, Ms Aghazade told the House.

The Bills were voted on separately and passed on third reading.

Chairman of the Human Rights Committee Zahid Oruj spoke about amendments to the Law on Information, Informatisation and Information Protection. He said that a number of proposals had been voiced in the speeches made during the second reading and that the topic of protection of critical information infrastructure is very relevant for Azerbaijan. The proposals noted will be considered in the future.

The bill was adopted on third reading.

Head of the Committee of Health Care Ahliman Amiraslanov spoke about the first reading of the draft amendments to the Medicines Act, remarking that they related to improving governance in the health and health insurance sector and would serve to optimise the sector as a whole, specifying the conditions, stages and mechanism for the examination of medicines. The Ministry of Health is listed as the body responsible for the examination and registration of medicinal products. Other amendments in the package envisage the preventing state registration of different medicinal products under the same trademark. An exception is medicines from the same manufacturer (or manufactured under licence from that manufacturer) with the same brand name, but with a different dosage and pharmaceutical form of the active ingredient, and a different commercial packaging or volume of the latter.

The parliamentary committee heads Siyavush Novruzov and Ganira Pashayeva commented on this agenda item. The MPs Vahid Ahmadov, Razi Nurullayev, Fazail Aghamali, Vugar Bayramov, Tahir Karimli, Etibar Aliyev and Hikmat Mammadov shared their considerations and suggestions as well. Ahliman Amiraslanov responded to the thoughts raised, after which the Bill was passed on first reading

Next up, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova announced the next five items on the agenda, which were, she clarified, second reading Bills. The next three items came in one package from the President of the country.

Chair of the Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs Committee Hijran Huseynova tabled amendments to the Family Code. These amendments will help eliminate problems with filing documents and reduce time costs as well as improve citizen satisfaction. In addition, the functionality of the e-government data system in the country is expected to be further enhanced and digital inter-institutional integration will be strengthened, according to Mrs Huseynova.

The MPs Fazail Aghamali, Mushfig Mammadli, Jeyhun Mammadov and Tahir Karimli let the House hear what they thought to this end.

Hijran Huseynova also voiced her committee’s conclusion regarding the Bill, after which the amendments were put on vote and passed in the second reading.

Member of the Legal Policy and State-Building Committee Nurlan Hasanov spoke about the amendments to the Law ‘On State Registration and State Register of Legal Entities’, which, he noted, had been widely covered during the first reading and would be ensure technical harmonisation with the proposed amendments to the Notaries Law.

MP Hasanov suggested that the Bill be voted on, which was duly done – the draft was passed on second reading.

Further, Nurlan Hasanov also brought to the plenary's attention the amendments to the Notaries Law he had just mentioned. He said that the legislators had been thoroughly informed of the essence of the amendments during the first reading and again proposed a vote on the document.

The document provides for improvement of the legal framework according to which notaries shall request information and documents necessary for notarial acts in relation to the share capital of commercial legal entities, the powers of their founders and their shares in equity capitals.   

The Bill was put to a vote and passed on second reading.

The same Nurlan Hasanov tabled amendments to the Civil Code, the Code of Civil Procedure and the laws On Notaries, On the Transfer of Property to Municipal Ownership and ‘On the State Duty’. And here it was noted that Parliament had been fully briefed on the amendments during the first reading, and it was suggested that the Bill be put to a vote.

Chairmen of the Regional Affairs Committee and the Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee, Siyavush Novruzov and Tahir Mirkishili, respectively, presented their committees’ favourable conclusions about the amendments as tabled. Then, the Bills were voted in the second reading one by one.

First Vice Speaker and Chairman of the Legal Policy and State-Building Committee Ali Huseynli brought before the House draft amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences and to the laws On Police, On Veterinary Practice and On Horse Breeding. He remarked that no proposals had been motioned during the first reading of the document.

The Bill is there with a view to improving these laws, taking into account the requirements of the Constitutional Act on Normative Legal Acts, and also to ensuring that the provisions of those laws comply with the parameters of legislative technique

Having listened to the relevant positive opinion statement by the Agrarian Policy Committee, voiced by its Chairman Tahir Rzayev, the assembly put the document to a vote and adopted it on second reading, bringing today's plenary session of the Milli Majlis to a close.

The Press and Public Relations Department  

The Milli Majlis