Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 18 November with Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda who had arrived in Azerbaijan for the Parliamentary Meeting that the Azerbaijani parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union had held on the COP29 sidelines.

Thanking the guest for his participation of the Parliamentary Meeting, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said that Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, too, had taken part in the COP29. That, she added, demonstrated Zimbabwe’s commitment to combatting climate change.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis spoke of the successful completion of the Parliamentary Meeting and said that its Final Document reflected the common stance on the climate change issue. Such international events are also important in that they provide networking and discussions across the ranges of bilateral and multilateral co-operation matters, according to the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

Jacob Mudenda congratulated the Azerbaijani side on the successful arrangement of both the COP29 and the Parliamentary Meeting. He mentioned the intense international interest in this formidably important global event hosted by Azerbaijan. Besides, he underscored the significance of the calls made during the COP29 deliberations to support the least developed countries.

They discussed co-operation between our countries and legislatures. Azerbaijan’s dedication to furthering mutually beneficial partnership with African countries including Zimbabwe was underlined. There are firm political ties and fruitful co-operation under the aegis of various international organisations between our countries. Those organisations include the United Nations Organisation and the Non-Aligned Movement. This, in turn, generates fine opportunities to further co-operation in other areas also.

The importance of the active Zimbabwean involvement in the work of the Non-Aligned Movement’s Parliamentary Network was stressed then, with the Network being described as an irreplaceable platform for legislators from various countries to discuss a broad range of issues upon.

Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova briefed the guest on the situation in the region. It was said that Azerbaijan had encountered pressuring attempts and libellous campaigns on the part of certain countries on restoring her territorial integrity and sovereignty. Those attempts had been especially energised on the eve of the COP29. According to the Speaker, climate change issues concern the whole world and each one should contribute to their resolution.

Besides, Sahiba Gafarova told the guest of the green energy projects and the ‘smart town’ and ‘smart village’ concepts, all afoot in the de-occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The meeting also saw an exchange of opinions about other matters of interest to both sides.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis