Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met on 18 February with the delegation led by Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova, who are in our country on an official visit.

First, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova was shown to the plena chamber of the Milli Majlis. Then, the two states’ Speakers had a meeting tête-à-tête.

The tête-à-tête was followed by the guest’s viewing the exhibits in the Heydar Aliyev Memorial Hall and leaving a heartfelt entry in the Hall’s memorial book. That, in turn, was followed by a meeting of the parties in an expanded format.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said she was pleased to welcome the Speaker of the Belarusian Parliament to Azerbaijan and then praised not only her official visit but also her participation in the upcoming 15^th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA). Sahiba Gafarova emphasised that the relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus had been built on sincerity, trust, and friendship.

It was said then that strong traditions of bilateral co-operation had been formed over the 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis underlined the crucial role of the high-level relations of the Heads of State in fostering these ties, adding that mutual visits at the highest and senior levels, along with the signing of more than 170 documents, had contributed to the further strengthening of bilateral co-operation. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova also expressed satisfaction with the successful collaboration of the two countries in international organisations and their mutual support on global platforms.

The parties spoke commandingly about the current level of the inter-parliamentary connexions, which are contributing substantially to the progress of our countries’ bilateral relations.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova recalled her official visit to the Republic of Belarus and the discussions held during it last year before talking about the successful co-operation of the two legislative assemblies, bilaterally as well as in international parliamentary organisations. Besides, she stressed that Belarus being granted the observer status in the APA would bear well on multilateral co-operation.

Also, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova updated the guests on the activities of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, established upon the instance of President Ilham Aliyev, and told them of certain powers’ unjust attitude to Azerbaijan ahead of the COP29.

The extensive participation of both countries’ delegations in monitoring the elections conducted in Azerbaijan and Belarus was discussed benignly at the meeting as well.

Having expressed her gratitude for the invitation to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan and join the 15^th APA plenary session, Natalya Kochanova emphasised that the current relations between the two countries are based on long-standing and time-tested mutual trust. 

She underscored the high level of bilateral ties in the fields of economy, trade, culture, and other areas, underlining the particular importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation in this context. The guest also expressed her joy over Azerbaijan’s full restoration of sovereignty, adding that this event was met with enthusiasm in Belarus as well. According to her, the elections held in both countries last year and this year were a demonstration of strong public support for their national leaders. 

According to Natalya Kochanova, Belarus attaches great importance to the relations with Azerbaijan and strives to ensure their continued evolution.

The guest thanked the Azerbaijani side for its support to Belarus as a candidate APA observer, and stressed the importance of the organisation’s agenda under discussion.

The meeting also saw an exchange of opinions about matters of shared concern.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis