Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 19 November with a delegation led by Co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.

The Speaker of Parliament welcomed the guests cordially before highlighting the successful work of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre, an entity which brings together prominent individuals with extensive experience and knowledge. She mentioned the high regard in which the Centre's activities are held by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. 

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova emphasised that the Centre serves as an important platform for discussing global issues and finding solutions to challenges. She also highlighted the significance of the Global Baku Forums held to date and the ever-expanding geographical reach of their participants. 

During the discussion, the Speaker mentioned Azerbaijan’s having been unanimously chosen as the COP29 host country last December. That selection was recognition of Azerbaijan’s efforts in combating climate change and a testament to the international community’s trust in the country’s ability to act as a bridge connecting communities and nations. 

The Azerbaijani presidency of the COP29 accomplished immense work in engaging all stakeholders and addressing their needs, despite a tight preparation period of just 11 months. 

It was further noted that during the preparatory process, Azerbaijan faced biased accusations, double standards, and disinformation campaigns. Nevertheless, despite these obstacles, the COP29 had commenced its work successfully and continued operating with the participation of all the stakeholders. 

Sahiba Gafarova informed the delegation of the Parliamentary Meeting held within the framework of the COP29 and organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Delegations from over 90 countries participated in the meeting discussing crucial topics over two days; the topics included climate finance, mitigation, adaptation, transparency, and national contributions. The Final Document was adopted to summarise the discussions and to reflect the legislatures’ collective stance on their contributions to climate action. 

The guests were also supplied with information about the history, structure, and activities of the Milli Majlis. 

Sahiba Gafarova spoke about Azerbaijan's Victory in the 44-day Patriotic War, emphasising that the country ended Armenia's 30-year occupation and restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty. 

Besides, the Speaker placed emphasis on France's actions consisting in the further arming of Armenia following the war, escalating tensions in the region, and drew attention to the issue of double standards. 

Additionally, the guests were informed about the restoration and reconstruction efforts in the liberated territories, as well as the implementation of the ‘Smart City’ and ‘Smart Village’ projects as part of the transition to green energy.

The Co-Chairs of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga and Ismail Serageldin, along with Centre members Rosen Plevneliev, Jean Baderschneider and Denis Francis, extended their congratulations to Azerbaijan on having hosted the COP29 to high standards.   

The speakers underscored the significant global importance of this event dedicated to addressing environmental challenges. They mentioned Azerbaijan's growing international reputation and commended the country's active role in the environmental sphere, as well as its contributions to advancing green development on a global scale. 

The importance of international efforts to promote the global ‘green’ agenda was underscored, and opportunities for worldwide climate change mitigation were discussed as well. In addition, they broached Azerbaijan's support for the Small Island Nations. It was said that Azerbaijan provides assistance to these countries in reducing the impact of natural disasters and actively participates in solving their environmental issues and combating the adverse effects of climate change.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis