Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalia Kochanova.

The comprehensive nature of the relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus that rests on the principles of friendship and brotherhood was emphasised at the meeting. It was pointed out that the high-level relations between the two Heads of State play a key role in the development of these ties. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova stressed that the mutual visits at the highest level and the documents signed to date contribute to the further deepening of the co-operation. Successful collaboration between the two countries in international organisations and their mutual support on various issues in international platforms was also emphasised.

Satisfaction with the current level of relations between our parliaments, which represent an important area of co-operation between the two countries, was expressed as well. The official visit of Speaker Sahiba Gafarova to the Republic of Belarus in June of this year and the meetings held within the framework of this visit were also mentioned with contentment. It was noted that our legislative bodies successfully co-operate both bilaterally and within international parliamentary organisations.

The two speakers mentioned the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between our parliaments, which, as they emphasised, contributes to the development of the ties between the legislative assemblies. Sahiba Gafarova expressed her gratitude to the Belarusian parliamentary delegation for their wide-scale observation of the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. She pointed out that those were the first parliamentary elections held after the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Natalya Kochanova congratulated Sahiba Gafarova on the successful conduct of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan and her re-election as Speaker of the Milli Mejlis. She also conveyed congratulations on the successful organisation of the global event COP29 in Baku, chaired by Azerbaijan. Natalya Kočanova recalled the speeches of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Belarus at the events within the framework of COP29, noting that the heads of state expressed their broad and objective views both on the significance of the event and on the situation in international relations.

 There was at the meeting also an exchange of views upon other issues of shared interest.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The  Mill Majlis