Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met with the visiting delegation led by Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) Akif Kilic on 9 March.

Welcoming the guests cordially, Madame Chair told them she hoped that their visit would give the bilateral relations a further momentum. It was with great sadness that she sent her condolences and those of all the Members of the Milli Majlis to the families and friends of the Turkish servicemen killed in the TAF helicopter crash in Bitlis last week as well as to the whole Turkish nation as represented by the delegation. Madame Chair also wished the survivors of the crash a speedy recovery from their injuries.

Having emphasised the uninterrupted nature of the progress in the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the two friendly and fraternal countries, Mrs Gafarova remarked that there were no other two states in the whole world that would be as close. Turkey extended its political and moral support to Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War, too; the brotherly Turkish people took their place right next to Azerbaijan in a vivid materialisation of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev’s expression ‘one nation – two states’. As President Ilham Aliyev has said, the global political system can poise neither an alternative nor an analogue to the true brotherhood between our countries and our nations who share the same language, creed, culture and history.

Bringing up the roles that the two parliaments play in the advancement of the mutual relations, Madame Speaker lauded the activities of the friendship groups of both legislatures, saying then that their bilateral ties and their co-operation in international organisations were crucial as far as discussing the matters interesting both sides were concerned. Then, she underlined the exceptional importance of the trilateral interaction between the external relations committees of the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia.

Mr Kılıc thanked Mrs Gafarova for the heartfelt welcome before witnessing the satisfaction that all the members of his delegation felt with their visit to Azerbaijan. The Members of the Turkish Parliament monitored closely the developments during Azerbaijan’s 44-day Patriotic War just like all the people of Turkey did and were as glad of Azerbaijan’s achievements as all the Turkish people were. What Azerbaijan felt, Turkey felt, too, Mr Kılıc remarked, adding, ‘We have always felt and feel now our brotherhood with Azerbaijan.’

Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee for International Relations and Interparliamentary Contacts Samad Seyidov and Leader of the Milli Majlis Working Group for Interparliamentary Relations with Turkey Ahliman Amiraslanov spoke about the co-operation betwixt both sides’ MPs in international organisations and regional bodies. Mr Seyidov and Mr Amiraslanov also praised the MPs’ mutual visits and the meetings held periodically.

Members of the GNAT Foreign Relations Committee Derya Bakbar, Ahmet Kamil Erozan, Ismail Özdemir and Utku Çakırözer, the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Özoral, Chief of the Staff of the Milli Majlis Safa Mirzayev and other officials were taking part in the meeting as well.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis