Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 2 November with Antonio Anastasia, Chairman of the Working Group for inter-parliamentary connexions with Azerbaijan of the Federal Senate of the National Congress of Brazil who is visiting in our country currently.

The Chair of the Milli Majlis mentioned the positive dynamics in the Azerbaijani-Brazilian relations as she spoke during the conversation; Azerbaijan, she added, was interested in continuing the co-operation with Brazil, be it through the UN or under the aegis of the other international organisations. The legal frameworks for the bilateral interaction have been built up in the close to thirty years that have passed since our diplomatic relations were established, according to Mrs Gafarova.

As she spoke of the bi-partite inter-parliamentary connexions, Sahiba Gafarova referred to the work done by the reciprocal inter-parliamentary working groups in the Milli Majlis as well as in both houses of the Brazilian National Congress: the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Besides, she said, our MPs co-operate under the auspices of international institutions successfully.

The Chair of the Milli Majlis spoke about the 44 days’ Patriotic War as well: the Brazilian Senator was told that the counter-offensive started by Azerbaijan after yet another Armenian provocation on 27 September last year had culminated in our lands’ liberation from the Armenian occupation. At that, Azerbaijan had used its right of self-defence stipulated in international documents as well, amongst other things. The well-known trilateral statement that the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime-minister of Armenia signed on 10 November marked the end to the conflict. In that way, Azerbaijan put an end to the Armenian occupation of its lands that had lasted for close to thirty years and, apropos, enforced independently the certain four resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Chair Gafarova went further to mention that Senator Anastasia had visited the de-occupied town of Agdam and seen the destruction caused in it with his own eyes already. Only the names remained of Agdam and of our other towns and provinces after the invaders had been driven out: in the thirty years of occupation, Armenia had razed to the ground, annihilated all our captured towns and villages, all the formerly populated locations in the first place. Also, the whole of the infrastructure and the historic and cultural heritage of ours had been destroyed. Now, then, Armenia is refusing to give up minefield maps, which is yet another provocation in itself.

What else Mrs Gafarova told Mr Anastasia was that Azerbaijan was a multinational and tolerant country and an ardent advocate of peace and well-being in the region. Right now, Azerbaijan is occupied with the large-scale restoration work under way in its lands cleared of the occupiers. The Brazilian guest was put in the swim of that work.

The leader of the Working Group for inter-parliamentary connexions with Azerbaijan of the Federal Senate of the National Congress of Brazil Antonio Anastasia had shared his thoughts about the prospects of our countries’ bipartite relations in various areas. He also underlined that high-level visits mattered for advancement of the relations.

The importance of the friendship groups and the contribution to strengthening our inter-parliamentary co-operation that could come from mutual visits and experience exchange were broached in the context of the connexions between the legislatures of Azerbaijan and Brazil.

Senator Antonio Anastasia said he had been to both Ganja and Agdam as part of his current visit; he added that he had eye-witnessed the realia in place over there. The Brazilian guest expressed a confidence that the de-occupied provinces of the country would become a well-developed part of the country soon enough.

There was also an exchange of opinions about other topics during the conversation.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis