The first meeting of the Milli Majlis Committee for International Relations and Inter-Parliamentary Connexions of the 2021 autumn session of the parliament was held online on 15 September.

Committee Chairman Samad Seyidov covered the items put on the agenda in his introductory word.

Item one was the Committee performance report covering the spring and extraordinary sessions of 2021. It was mentioned that there had been 14 committee meetings called to discuss 19 issues including several draft laws, also, treaties, protocols and agreements concluded between Azerbaijan and a number of countries. During the same two sessions, the Committee held opinion exchanges about developments in the world and in the region. The Milli Majlis passed the 12 matters that the Committee had recommended.

The Committee chairman and members alike met with the delegations of a few countries and international countries during the reference period; besides, the bilateral relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands were discussed.

The Committee members were active in mass media and on social networks alike commenting on international relations topics and, especially, communicating the just post-war stance of Azerbaijan to the public at large energetically.

It was then mentioned that the Committee had received the total of 4,742 applications and complaints during the spring and extraordinary parliamentary sessions of 2021; appropriate action had been taken with regards to 3,127 of those whilst a certain number of them had been forwarded to appropriate authorities and organisations. In addition, the Committee members received individual appellants – both online and IRL.

The performance report was followed by the 2021 autumn session work plan that envisages discussions of a string of Bills, the passing of conclusions about the procedural documents on affirming, executing and annulling international and inter-state treaties, the formulating of proposals regarding a further evolution of inter-parliamentary ties and the work that is to be done on bolstering the relations with Azerbaijani organisations active abroad and our compatriots living in other countries. At the same time, the work plan for the current session includes a purposeful action to inform the general public about the grave consequences of the Armenian occupation for our liberated lands and about the Khojali Genocide truth – this one in the context of the international propaganda and advocacy campaign ‘Justice for Khojali’. There are other points in the work plan, too.

Next came the third agenda item, namely, the Azerbaijan Republic Bill on ratification of the inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding between the Azerbaijan Republic and the Republic of Turkey ‘On the Training of the Special Operations Forces of the Army of Azerbaijan and the Armed Forces of Turkey’.

The Committee chairman mentioned the top-level relations built between the Azerbaijani and Turkish soldiers as the Bill was being discussed. The soldiers of both armies conduct joint training exercises and this tells of the two coming increasingly closer together. Promotion of the bilateral defence co-operation is a weighty step in maintaining peace and security in the region, according to Mr Seyidov.

The Committee members Sahib Aliyev, Elman Nasirov, Nasib Mahamaliyev, Sevil Mikayilova, Ramin Mammadov and Ramil Hasan shared their views of the Memorandum. Azerbaijan and Turkey are strategic alliance and adopting such a document was a tremendous move in deepening our alliance, the MPs argued.

It was recommended following the deliberations to table the Bill on ratification of the inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding between the Azerbaijan Republic and the Republic of Turkey ‘On the Training of the Special Operations Forces of the Army of Azerbaijan and the Armed Forces of Turkey’ at a plenary sitting of the Milli Majlis.

Deputy Chair of the Committee Sevinj Fataliyeva and the MPs Nigyar Arpadarai, Kamran Bayramov, Javanshir Feyziyev, Tural Ganjaliyev, Azer Karimli, Asim Mollazade, Rasim Musabeyov and Sabir Rustamkhanli attended the online meeting as well.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis