The bilateral inter-parliamentary friendship groups of the legislatures of Azerbaijan and Latvia met remotely on 18 October.

Romans Naudiņš who heads the Latvian Saeima’s group for the promotion of co-operation with the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis congratulated our MPs on the Regained Independence Day and referred to the similarities in the two countries’ paths of independence. Mr Naudiņš also recalled his visit to Azerbaijan in June this year when he and the other Saeima deputies travelled to the liberated lands and could see the grave consequences of the Armenian occupation there.

The leader of the Milli Majlis working group for the inter-parliamentary connexions with Latvia Kamran Bayramov, in turn, greeted the Latvian colleagues and told them that Azerbaijan had come up against Armenia’s policy of occupation and ethnic cleansing levelled at it from the very first years of independence. The Azerbaijani lands captured by the invaders were set free in the Patriotic War that was waged under the supreme generalship of President Ilham Aliyev and culminated in a victory. As for now, the infrastructure completely that the Armenians had annihilated is being rebuilt in the recovered lands, according to Mr Bayramov. The Azerbaijani MP thanked the Latvian side for their backing to the territorial integrity of his country. Azerbaijan, he added, advocated reopening of communications, economic co-operation and steady peace in the region.

The Azerbaijani group members Fatma Yildirim and Emin Hajiyev, too, spoke of the crisis that Azerbaijan had had to deal with from the first years of its independence. What else they said was that Azerbaijan had found a way out of that predicament thanks to the genius of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and that the steps taken at that time precisely had laid a foundation for the present-day achievements of our country. Besides, the MPs referred to the current state of affairs in the region and the progressing restoration of the freed provinces.

The attending Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Latvia Elnur Jafarov outlined the current bilateral co-operation and prospects for broader connexions.

The deputy chairman of the aforementioned Latvian group Armands Krause and the group members Vitaly Orlov and Alexandrs Kiršteins put forth their thoughts about the areas into which the bilateral interaction would be expanded.

A member of the above-said Azerbaijani group Tamam Jafarova took part in the online meeting as well.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis