During her working trip to Tajikistan, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova took part in the international parliamentary conference held on 11 October to mark the 30^th anniversary of the Constitution of Tajikistan.

The Heads of the Delegations participating in the international conference installed a wreath at the Ismail Somoni Monument in the Friendship Square in Dushanbe ahead of the event.

The International Conference began at the Parliament of Tajikistan then.

In her address at the event, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis thanked Speaker of the Majlisi Milli of the Republic of Tajikistan Rustam Emomali and Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of the Majlisi Oli Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda for the invitation, the hospitality, and the high organisational level of the event in question. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova congratulated  the Parliament and all the people of Tajikistan on the 30^th anniversary of the Constitution.

Sahiba Gafarova said that the people of Tajikistan would never forget those difficult days in the early 1990s before the adoption of the Constitution, adding that Tajikistan, which is advancing stably and dynamically under the leadership of President Emomali Sharifovich Rahmon today, has achieved a string of social, economic and other successes.

The Speaker of Milli Majlis remarked that Azerbaijan highly appreciates all the achievements of Tajikistan, because the Azerbaijani and Tajik peoples are united by the centuries-old history, culture, religion, common values and traditions. Our peoples have always lived in peace, tranquillity, friendship and mutual understanding.

The Speaker that said our interstate relations rest on that solid foundation. She noted the special role of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in the formation of these relations.

Continuing her speech, the Speaker of Milli Majlis underscored the fact that there has been active and consistent interaction in various spheres of bilateral co-operation since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries in 1992 and up to now. The Speaker emphasised the important contribution to the strengthening and development of the bilateral co-operation of our countries made by the personal friendship and mutual understanding between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. She stressed then the active conversations and periodical meetings, bilaterally as well as international events.

President Ilham Aliyev made a state visit to Tajikistan in April 2023 and was a guest of honour at the 5^th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia in Dushanbe in September of the same year. In November 2023, President Emomali Rahmon joined the summit of the UN special programme for the Central Asian economies in Baku, and in May 2024 he paid a state visit to Azerbaijan. The negotiations held and the agreements reached during these contacts as well as the numerous documents signed, gave a powerful impetus to the development of active interaction in all the facets of the bilateral co-operation. The signing of the ‘Declaration of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Tajikistan’ during Emomali Rahmon's state visit to Azerbaijan took the relations between our countries to a new level qualitatively.

According to the Speaker of Milli Majlis, our state bodies implement practically and determinedly the high-level decisions, which work is manifest in the purposeful action in the economic, trading, transport, humanitarian, and other spheres.

Towards the conclusion of her speech, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova described parliamentary interaction as an important and positive influence on the bilateral and multilateral relations between countries. We parliamentarians represent our peoples, and our work reflects their will.

As she was talking about the ties between the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova mentioned the very fruitful co-operation established today between our legislative assemblies, bilaterally as well as in such inter-parliamentary organisations as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Co-operation Organisation.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova went further to remark the fostering of this co-operation by the reciprocal visits of Speakers of Parliament and by the work that the Friendship Groups do. The Co-operation Agreement between the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Majlisi Milli of the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, signed during the official visit of Rustam Emomali to Azerbaijan in 2022, confirms our intentions to promote further expansion and strengthening of cooperation between our countries in political, economic, scientific and technical, socio-cultural, humanitarian and other spheres.

Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova concluded her address by reiterating her congratulations to the Parliament and the brotherly people of Tajikistan on the 30^th anniversary of the Constitution; she wished them success and prosperity.

The Press and Public relations Department
The Milli Majlis