Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova spoke at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Dublin on 29 September.

Speaking at the debates on equality and diversity in public representation: the involvement of youth, women, ethnic and social groups as members of parliament, Mrs Gafarova told of the relevant experience and achievements made by Azerbaijan.

‘Granted the suffrage back in 1918, the women in Azerbaijan, which was ahead of the majority of European countries in that area, enjoy the rights and freedoms equal to those of men. Azerbaijan has made considerable progress in expanding women’s rights and opportunities by today,’ Mrs Gafarova was saying.

‘Youth, too, have through various state support programmes and development strategies achieved the level of participation required for bearing on social life positively. Thus, though certain problems remain, we observe a consistent increase in the percentage of women and young people standing and winning in municipal and parliamentary elections and taking over elevated decision-making positions.

‘As regards ethnic groups, it should be mentioned that members of diverse ethnic groups have coexisted in dignity, peace and friendship and without any kind of provocation in Azerbaijan for centuries. Today, they are actively involved in all the facets of social life including parliamentary representation.’

Continuing her speech, Chair Sahiba Gafarova told the audience that the condition of peace and security is central to supremacy of law, democracy and inclusive development. The foundation for those is the respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

‘The significance of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity has been emphasised at this conference. Unfortunately, those principles tend to be neglected in the case of Azerbaijan. This is a true challenge to European democracy when double standards are demonstrated in the observance of such fundamental principles.’

Azerbaijan followed the liberation of her lands from three decades of occupation by Armenia in 2020 by the initiatives to normalise relations with this state and to sign a peace pact with it on the basis of respect for each other’s sovereignty, territorial wholeness and inviolability of borders, Sahiba Gafarova continued. However, Armenia has spent three years resorting to every means within reach to break the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, such as military and political provocations, mining and backing separatism in our territories. The 10,000-strong armed forces of Armenia in Azerbaijan’s Garabagh Region and the existence of an illegal puppet regime had been the main obstacles to achieving peace and stability in the region.

‘For a few months past, Armenia has been trying to manipulate and mislead the international community using false and unfounded accusations of the so-called “blockade” or “humanitarian crisis” in the Garabagh Region. Those claims were reduced to a nought by the passage of cargoes to that region via both the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads.

‘On 19 September, Armenia resorted to yet another military provocation that resulted in the deaths of six citizens of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan responded to those provocations by undertaking the local anti-terrorist measures targeting the illegal military groups and military infrastructure – and never civilian population and civic facilities. And any claims to the contrary would be unfounded. The measures to combat terrorism achieved their goals in less than 24 hours. Right now, Armenia’s armed forces are being withdrawn from our territories and the separatist regime is dissolved. The disarmament process that continues still has unveiled the ghastly scale of illegal militarisation of our territories.

‘The process of reintegrating the ethnic Armenians living in Azerbaijan has begun already. The special representative of the Government of Azerbaijan has had two meetings with their delegates in a short while. As instructed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr Ilham Aliyev, the working group led by Deputy Prime Minister is addressing the social, humanitarian, economic and infrastructural issues of the region. The local populace have begun to be supplied with humanitarian aid including food, medicines and fuel, and the supplies by the International Committee of the Red Cross directed along the Lachin-Khankendi and Aghdam-Khankendi roads.

‘We firmly believe that this reintegration process will succeed. Nobody is making the ethnic Armenians to leave Garabagh. Not a single fact telling of this. Those who do leave act of their own free will and choice. I should like to emphasise that all the rights and security of those ethnic Armenians will be guaranteed in accordance with the Constitution of Azerbaijan and the international instruments Azerbaijan has signed. The ethnic Armenians who were hostages of a criminal regime for 30 years will live better and will again live together with the Azerbaijanis in the Garabagh Region – in peace and accord,’ Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova said in her speech.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis