Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova received the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russian Federation to Azerbaijan Republic Mikhail Yevdokimov on 23 November.

The Chair of the Milli Majlis welcomed the guest warmly, congratulated him on the beginning of his diplomatic mission as ambassador and wished him success.

The progress of the bilateral connexions in all the areas including the political, economic, humanitarian and cultural ones as well as the countries’ regions’ interaction and transport co-operation, all throughout the thirty years since the two-way diplomatic relations were formed, were talked over during the meeting. It was underscored that high-level reciprocal visits of the Heads of State, their meetings and constant contacts as well as the numerous diversely-themed documents signed to date served the cause of furthering the strengthening of our countries’ relations. The close political and economic co-operation bears well on the humanitarian ties. Those links bring our nations yet closer together, it was pointed out as the conversation went on.

Having stressed the considerable roles of the parliaments in the strengthening the relations between the two states, the Speaker touched on the activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for the co-operation between the Milli Majlis and the Federal Assembly, and highlighted the importance of parliamentary delegations’ reciprocal visits and meetings they hold for the exchange of legislative information and experience. Besides, Sahiba Gafarova underlined the significance of her official visits to Russian Federation on the invitations of Chair of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, and of the meetings held for the expansion of inter-parliamentary co-operation. She said that the latest visit of the kind was with Chair of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko on the sidelines of the CIS IPA events in Bishkek on 6 November. That meeting saw an exchange of opinions about the current state and prospects of the inter-parliamentary connexions.

Referring then with satisfaction to her working visit to Russia on 15 May this year to join the happenings on occasion of the centenary of Heydar Aliyev, Sahiba Gafarova described those events as a token of deep respect and veneration of our people’s National Leader.

The conversation turned to the new realia that had emerged in the region. It went about Azerbaijan’s interest in maintaining peace and security, and the steps she is taking to this end.

The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russian Federation in Azerbaijan Republic Mikhail Yevdokimov thanked for the sincere reception. He spoke of the dynamic advance of the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan in all the areas and of the friendship bonding our nations together. The inter-parliamentary co-operation has a formidable role in broadening those relations, according to the Ambassador who let it be known he intended to spare no effort during his diplomatic tenure to ensure that the relations would grow further still.

There was also an exchange of views upon the growth prospects of our inter-state and inter-parliamentary co-operation as well as about other subjects of shared interest.

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Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Azerbaijan Essam bin Saleh al-Jutaili on the same day.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova greeted the guest warmly, congratulated him on the ambassial appointment to Azerbaijan and wished him success in his work. It was remarked that Republic of Azerbaijan attached special importance to promoting the growth of relations with the friendly and fraternal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Our people have bonds with roots in history, religion and culture, according to Sahiba Gafarova who added that the bilateral diplomatic relations established after Azerbaijan had become independent had elevated our relations to a new level qualitatively.

The Chair of the Milli Majlis spoke about the momentum that the visit of the Azerbaijani people’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev to Saudi Arabia in 1994 had given the growth of the relations. She also talked about the definition of the vectors of future growth of the relations made at the meetings held during the visits of President Ilham Aliyev to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the documents signed between our states during those visits. Also, Sahiba Gafarova emphasised the exceptional part the top and high-level visits had to play in the continuing rapprochement of our countries and the development of bilateral ties.

Mrs Gafarova lauded the support Saudi Arabia had given to our country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as the inviolability of its borders – the support given at international fora. It was said that the refusal of Saudi Arabia to form diplomatic relations with Armenia due to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands had been immense moral support to our nation and state as well as a vivid manifestation of fraternity.

Going over to the comprehensive progress of the Azerbaijani-Saudi relations and, specifically, broaching the possibility of broadening economic, educational, academic, cultural and otherwise co-operation further, Sahiba Gafarova remarked upon the roles of the supreme legislative bodies of our countries in deepening the friendly relations between them. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis thanked the legislature of Saudi Arabia for the active involvement in the work done by the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement before offering her opinion about the advancement of our countries’ effective co-operation in international organisations.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Essam bin Saleh al-Jutaili mentioned the high level maintained in the bilateral relations and stressed that the diverse co-operation, including that between our legislative assemblies, was in the interests of both nations. He also commented on the growth of the friendly ties and co-operation between the two countries.

There was also an exchange of opinions about new opportunities to co-operation to bolster the inter-parliamentary contacts, economic and trading relations – and other matters of joint interest.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis