As part of her current official visit to Italy, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met on 18 May with the State Secretary of the Italian Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Co-chairman of the joint Interstate Commission for economic co-operation between the Azerbaijan Republic and the Italian Republic Manlio Di Stefano.

Manlio Di Stefano greeted the Azerbaijani delegation and said he hoped that their official visit to Italy would be successful. He recalled with pleasure his latest visit to Azerbaijan and stressed he had positive impressions of our country from it.

Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova expressed gratitude for the sincere welcome, said that the official visit was taking place on the invitation of Chair of the Senate of Italy Maria Elisabetta Alberti-Casellati and brought to attention the high level of the Azerbaijani-Italian relations. She also mentioned the vast contribution to the bilateral relations’ progress from the visits of President Sergio Mattarella of Italy to Azerbaijan in 2018 and of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to Italy in 2020.

Regarding the cultural bonds, Sahiba Gafarova cited the projects implemented in Azerbaijan by Azerbaijan’s First Vice President Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva as President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the ISESCO/UNESCO goodwill ambassador. Mrs Gafarova remarked that such projects as those served the cause of continued deepening of the relations between our countries and nations.

Then, the Chair of the Milli Majlis told Mr Di Stefano of the 44-day Patriotic War and the already-closed conflict. She added that Azerbaijan had initiated large-scale restoration in its de-occupied lands. As for the counter-constructive standpoint held by Armenia even after the end to the conflict, Madame Chair commented on it by saying that Armenia would not release minefield maps thus hindering the restoration of the areas in question and hampering the internally displaced people’s return to their own lands. At the same time, Armenia is spreading claims far from being true to reality and is attempting to make the terrorists detained after the conflict settlement as ‘prisoners of war’. The Chair of the Milli Majlis emphasised Azerbaijan’s adherence and advocation of peace and the wish that all the people inhabiting the region should live in peace.

There was also an exchange of opinions about other matters of mutual interest during the meeting. 

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis