Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has met with President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany Bärbel Bas.

Greeting the Chair of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan with sincerity, the Head of the Bundestag commented on the progress of relations between our countries and parliaments. She said she was certain that the official visit of the Chair of the Milli Majlis to Germany was going to bear well on a continued expansion of the bilateral relations.

It was further at the meeting that the 30^th anniversary of the Azerbaijani-German diplomatic relations was celebrated last year and that the two-way connexions had progressed successfully in the political, economic, humanitarian and other areas all that period and that there are fine opportunities to expand them further at present.

The President of the Bundestag provided insights into the challenges Germany's energy supply is facing currently and, in this regard, spoke about the country’s focus on renewable energy, the companies operating in this sector and the members of the Bundestag involved in this field. Mrs Bas also shared her thoughts on establishing links with relevant structures in Azerbaijan in the field of renewable energy.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis remarked that Azerbaijan and Germany are friendly and partnerly countries with Azerbaijan keen on furthering the connexions and the co-operation beneficial to both parties. The exceptional role of the political dialogue and high-status reciprocal visits and meetings in furthering the bilateral relations was underscored. Sahiba Gafarova recalled the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Germany and his conversations with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in March 2023. Those were intensely important for the discussion of our co-operation, it was said.

Sahiba Gafarova informed Bärbel Bas of the favourable investment climate of Azerbaijan, the large-scale re-construction of the de-occupied territories, Azerbaijan’s weighty role as an owner of modern transport infrastructure and a transit host, and the renewable energy projects being implemented currently. It was said also that Germany is one of the principal trading partners of Azerbaijan.

Underlining the significance of the humanitarian ties, the two legislature heads described the strengthening of the Azerbaijani-German academic, educational, technological and cultural education as a factor behind an added positive influence upon the progress of the relations. The atmosphere of tolerance and the good-neighbourly, peaceful coexistence of diverse ethnic groups in Azerbaijan is one of our more notable features, it was pointed out. Our country preserves the historical heritage of her German immigrants at the state level. The 200^th anniversary of the German settlements in the South Caucasus was celebrated to the decree of the Head of State in 2017; there were various events in both Azerbaijan and Germany.

Touching on the subject of inter-parliamentary co-operation then, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis stressed the necessity of boosting the joint activities of the legislatures for the sake of promoting a continued growth of co-operation between our countries. The significance of contacts and two-way visits in the light of the grand roles the friendship groups have in the inter-parliamentary connexions’ advancement was highlighted as well.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova also talked about the current situation in the region and the consequences of the 30-year-long Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan’s lands. Sahiba Gafarova remarked that Azerbaijan had begun large-scale restoration and rebuilding work after liberation of her lands from the captivity by Armenia. The more than a million mines planted by the Armenian side pose the biggest obstacle to the progress of that work, Mrs Gafarova emphasised before telling Mrs Bas that over 340 Azerbaijanis had suffered in mine explosions in the 3 years past. Provision of international de-mining support to our country takes on serious significance given that Azerbaijan is one of the most mine-contaminated mines in the world.

It was Azerbaijan that came up with a lasting regional peace initiative and put forth the five staple principles to underlie a peace treaty that would be signed with Armenia on condition of mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mrs Gafarova continued. She said that Armenia’s political and military provocations as well as the failure to honour its obligations in the last 3 years and incessant support given to the illegal separatist regime created in our territories made Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist measures in Garabagh inevitable. Those measures were implemented without civilian casualties at all and entirely in keeping with international law. Their outcomes were that the separatist regime terminated itself whereas Azerbaijan restored her own sovereignty. The Speaker stressed that no state would tolerate any separatist formation within its own territory.

Sahiba Gafarova also accentuated the absence of whatever obstacles to the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan is ready to resume the treaty negotiations. That our people had waited for 30 years for the erstwhile problem to be solved by way of peaceful conversations is a clear proof of the Azerbaijani nation’s support for peace and aspiration to it.

Sahiba Gafarova reiterated Azerbaijan’s preparedness for a peace settlement based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty between the two countries.

The President of the Bundestag mentioned the unwavering German support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and pointed out the importance of maintaining regional peace and continuing the peace treaty negotiations.

Mrs Bas also took interest in the opinions of the Head of the Azerbaijani Parliament as to the priority items on the international agenda.

There was an exchange of views upon other topics of shared interest, too.

After the meeting, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova presented the President of the Bundestag with the book Garabagh Before and After the Occupation. She told Mrs Bas of the destructions and atrocities committed in our towns and provinces in the 30 years during which they had been occupied by Armenia.

The members of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation were shown around the building of the legislative assembly of Germany then.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis