The conference 'The Role of National Parliaments in Promoting Security and Stability through Green Economy, Connectivity and Sustainable Development' was co-hosted by the Milli Majlis and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 22 May.

The conference opening went with Milli Majlis Member/ Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to the OSCE PA/Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Tech and Environment Azay Guliyev greeting the participants, of which he said were many from 27 OSCE States and 4 international organisations.

Mr Guliyev thanked Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova for her support with arranging the conference as well as for her personal participation, and mentioned with content the participation also of President of the OSCE PA Margareta Cederfelt, OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, Speaker of Skupština of Montenegro Daniela Đurović and Vice Speaker of Lithuania’s Seimas Jonas Jarutis.

Then Azay Guliyev touched on the role of parliaments in the implementation of green principles in national economy, the importance of communication in this field and of the exchange of experience in attaining sustainable development. He noted that in order to ensure more equitable, sustainable and secure development in the OSCE region it was necessary to consider the identified goals and the steps ahead. Mr. Guliyev also stressed the eventuality what ideas were to be voiced at this meeting attended by representatives of national parliaments and international organisations, the ideas, that is, which concern the green economy model implementation in achievement of sustainable development. This will contribute to identifying ways to address effectively the main economic and environmental security challenges that societies are currently facing, Mr Guliyev said confidently.

He said then that building relationships based on mutual respect and trust was of paramount importance for securing a more sustainable, just and secure future for our region.

Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova took the floor then and began by greeting all the conference participants on behalf of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is gratifying, she went on, that the numerous MPs have come together to discuss vital matters concerning our countries as well as the OSCE Region as a whole.

MPs are deputised by their nations to carry responsibility for supporting their states’ endeavours to seek the best possible solutions for the challenges of the epoch as well as for assisting in the realisation of the available opportunities to reach a better future for all. From this viewpoint, the parliamentary co-operation platforms signify our responsibility as much as they do our resolve, according to Mrs Gafarova. The discourse within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is crucial for exchanging ideas and experience at such conferences as the one unfolding today; it is equally as important for generation of new ideas and opening up prospects for expansion and closely-knit collaboration.

At a time when the difficult security situation in the OSCE Region is accompanied by economy recovery hardships in the slipstream of the pandemic and other challenges, today's conference focuses on such pressing topics as the role of the green economy and interaction in sustainable development. These will be discussed in detail by our panellists in the panel sessions.

Briefly outlining her views on those issues, Speaker Gafarova remarked that the application of green technologies would not only protect the environment but would also generate new economic prospects. It will, besides, bear favourably on all sustainable development aspects. Decidedly, the transition to an inclusive green economy will inevitably be gradual and accompanied by many hurdles. However, by taking the right steps forward, it is possible to achieve stability and sustainability of the process, which is also high on Azerbaijan's agenda. Clean environment and green development add up to one of the five priorities of Azerbaijan's new development strategy for until 2030. Dramatic action has been taken in recent years to increase the share of renewable energy in the total energy supply seriously. Our parliament, Mrs Gafarova was saying, passed the law on utilising renewable energy sources in electrical power generation in 2021, and several wind and solar PP projects are being implemented together with the international partners already. As regards green energy as a whole, not only the national potential is being amassed but its application to prop international co-operation is being worked on as well. The governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary inked a strategic partnership accord concerning this industry in Bucharest in December last year. The immense renewable energy resources of Azerbaijan will add to our country’s profile in the upkeep of the European energy security.

Coupled with a continued growth of transport (incl. transit) routes and communication lines, diversification assumes special importance for sustainable development. The large-format transport infrastructure projects implemented by Azerbaijan have made our country one of the key transport and logistical hubs of the Middle Corridor. Such practical moves as facilitation of transport procedures and elimination of lacunas and shortfalls in national and international legal systems will make trade and business activity yet more intensive all along the Corridor.

Parliamentary diplomacy is irreplaceable when it comes to promoting peace, security and stability in the OSCE Region and beyond. The cornerstone of this diplomacy, starting with the Helsinki Final Act, should be respect for the fundamental norms, principles and commitments enshrined in the main OSCE documents, in particular the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and the inviolability of their internationally recognised borders.

Speaker Gafarova said that some of the conference participants would be travelling to Azerbaijan’s Zanghilan Province tomorrow. There, they will see with their own eyes the devastating consequences of the 30-year Armenian occupation of internationally recognised territories of Azerbaijan. These three decades will remain one of the most shameful pages in the history of Armenia – a page that tells of the seizure of its neighbour's lands.

Armenia, the perpetrator of ethnic cleansing as its policy, coventrated all our towns and villages and vandalised all historical, cultural and religious sites of Azerbaijan over the years. The occupation was accompanied by ecological terror: Armenia decimated our forests and nature reserves, exploited our natural resources illegally, polluted the soil and rivers, including the transboundary rivers flowing from Armenia into Azerbaijani territory.

The four resolutions of the UN Security Council adopted in 1993 as well as resolutions and decisions of other international organisations, with the OSCE included, demanding immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan had not been implemented.

At the long last, in 2020, that is, Azerbaijan exercised her right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. That was how Azerbaijan enforced the resolutions of the UN and of international law norms and principles alike. And that was how Azerbaijan restored both the integrity of her own territory and historical justice.

Armenia has written to the delegations attending this conference urging them not to go to the Zanghilan Province tomorrow. Well, that will be your own choice, Mrs Gafarova commented. If you go on this journey you will see many things. On the one hand, you will see for yourselves the consequences of the Armenian occupation and the destruction it caused; on the other hand, you will get a close look at the large-scale construction and re-construction work that the Azerbaijani Government led by President Ilham Aliyev has been carrying out in those areas for two and a half years now.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis told the conference delegates that visiting those places they would witness the strong political will of the Azerbaijani Government and the determination of our people to conduct staggering re-construction and building of roads, bridges, power plants, schools, hospitals and houses – starting directly from the end of the Garabagh War II exactly two and a half years ago. The Zanghilan International Airport, built in a short while, as well as the Zangazur Corridor, set is to become a new transport infrastructure unit in the region, will greatly expand transport co-operation and trade along the Middle Corridor.

The participants of the trip will visit the village of Aghali, the first success story amongst the environmental ‘smart cities and villages' projects ventured in those areas, and as they meet the former IDP re-settled there, they will see that after so many years, life has already returned to those lands.

Madam Speaker concluded her speech by telling the guests again that she was happy to be here with them and wishing them every success in all their future endeavours.

That was followed by speeches by Margareta Cederfelt, President of the OSCE PA, Daniela Đurović, Speaker of the Assembly of Montenegro, and Roberto Montella, OSCE PA Secretary General.

The speakers thanked Sahiba Gafarova and the OSCE PA Secretariat for the high level at which the conference had been arranged. The guests said they were confident that the event would help solve environmental problems in the OSCE Region, achieve sustainable development of national economies against the backdrop of the environmental crisis, and maintaining stability. The detrimental consequences of climate change for national economies, the environment and regional security and stability to endure were also raised in the speeches. Views were expressed on the influence of human activities on nature and the environmental consequences of the exploitation of natural resources. It was noted that the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflicts posed formidable economic and environmental threats.

The green economy has an essential role to play in continuing socio-economic progress and protecting the environment at global and local levels, speakers said. They stressed the urgent need to apply best practices to achieve environmental security and minimise pollution, as well as to find and better exploit solutions for alternative and non-conventional energy sources.

The importance of strengthening international efforts and sharing experiences in addressing environmental challenges, of building domestic capacities and addressing the consequences of negative environmental changes at the global level was mentioned as well. International co-operation in addressing issues related to the green economy, sustainable development and security is important, and promoting the joint action for security and maintaining stability in the OSCE region will serve the progress of the participating States and the interests of their peoples.

The special role of legislatures in ensuring security and stability through sustainable development and environmental health was noted. The importance of national parliaments' efforts to improve legislative frameworks to promote the issues raised and to share relevant experiences was noted.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Azay Guliyev took the floor to thank the speakers for their interesting reflections, to wish the conference success and to express his conviction that the forthcoming discussions would prove useful.

The congressing delegates posed for memorable photos then.

And the conference continued through panel discussions.

The moderator of the first panel – ‘The Role of Green Concepts and Technologies in Sustainable Development and Economic Recovery’ – and Rapporteur of the OSCE PA Main Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Gudrun Kugler (Austria) expressed her appreciation for the high level of organisation of the event. Commenting on the theme of the panel, Mrs Kugler outlined the contribution of the transition to a green economy and green energy to maintaining energy security, and how this transition stimulates the introduction of modern technologies and a high standard of living.

That was followed by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister for Economy Samad Bashirli and Deputy Minister for Energy Elnur Soltanov outlining the work done in the discussed field in Azerbaijan.

Further panel remarks came from Deputy Speaker of Lithuanian Seimas Jonas Jarutis, John Aldag of the Canadian deputation, Head of the Albanian delegation to the OSCE PA Damian Gjiknuri and Black Sea Economic Co-operation PA Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev.

The second panel, on strengthening supply chain resilience through international connectivity and trade facilitation for sustainable development, was moderated by Askar Shakirov, OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative for Sustainable Development (Kazakhstan). In his opening remarks, Mr. Shakirov described the alarming deterioration of the world economy and environment due to global natural and humanitarian disasters. Mr Shakirov also touched on the importance of joint efforts by states to prevent such disasters.

Attention then turned to the place of the green economy in international transport and logistics as a factor for enhancing co-operation in these areas. The topic was addressed by Maka Bochorishvili, Member of the Georgian delegation to the OSCE PA, Mauro Del Barba, member of the Italian delegation to the Assembly, Khurshid Rustamov, economist with the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Azerbaijan, and Shahin Ismayilov, Head of International Co-operation Dept at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan.

Among the participants of the conference and the panel discussions were Members of the Milli Majlis and of our delegation to the OSCE PA Ulviya Aghayeva, Amina Aghazade, Tural Ganjaliyev, Tahir Mirkishili and Aghalar Valiyev, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the OSCE Rovshan Sadigbeyli as well as delegates from OSCE Member States and international organisations.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis