Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, currently in the Russian Federation for the meeting of the CIS IPA Council and the 53^rd plenary sitting of the CIS IPA, met on 25 November Valentina Matviyenko, Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

Valentina Matviyenko greeted Sahiba Gafarova and went on to talk about the successful advance of the relations between our countries, which, she added, was a cause of satisfaction. Mrs Matviyenko underlined the role that the inter-parliamentary connexions had in the bilateral relations and thanked the leadership of Azerbaijan for its contribution to the connexions’ growth and the support for them.

As she talked about the fortunate operations of the CIS IPA, the Chair of the Federation Council referred to the Assembly’s role in the deepening of the relations amongst the participating states and in opinion exchanges amongst them. Then, she expressed her appreciation of Azerbaijan’s active involvement in the Organisation’s work and said she was certain that its 53^rd plenary sitting was going to be a success.

In turn, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova mentioned the thirtieth anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations coming next year. The fruitful ties encompassing areas of interest have been built between Azerbaijan and Russia during those three decades. The bilateral interaction is strategic in nature; a great input in their advance comes from the leaders of the two states, according to the Chair of the Milli Majlis.

As for the interaction between the Azerbaijani and Russian legislatures, it has a place of its very own in the progress of the bilateral ties. Both the Milli Majlis and the Federal Assembly have the friendship groups in action. Besides, due recognition is given to the on-going work done by the bilateral inter-parliamentary commission binding the Milli Majlis and the Federal Assembly.

Sahiba Gafarova informed her vis-à-vis about the victory of our country in the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020. She emphasised Azerbaijan’s having recovered its lands from thirty years of occupation and restored its territorial wholeness as a result of that victory. The trilateral statement that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia and the prime-minister of Armenia inked on 10 November last year drew a line under the ended conflict and raised the curtain on a new stage. Having said that, the speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament stressed that Azerbaijan was fulfilling all its obligations under that statement. The large-scale restoration and building work goes on in the Azerbaijani lands purged of the invaders. Azerbaijan wishes peace and security in the region and is doing all it can to that end. Azerbaijan is ready for border delimitation talks with Armenia, either – on condition of the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity – and has let it be known clearly enough. At the same time, Armenia resorts to provocations time and again.

Mrs Gafarova updated Mrs Matviyenko on the engagements brought about by the Armenian borderline provocation of 16 November; seven servicemen of ours were killed in action. Then, Mrs Gafarova highlighted that the responsibility for that provocation lay completely with the military and political administration of Armenia. Madame Speaker also mentioned the deaths of military personnel and civilians alike to date in the explosions of the mines planted by the Armenian side. Armenia is refusing to release the minefield maps despite all the urges and then, such a stance defies the international law and hinders restoration of stability to the region.

As the conversation drew to an end, Sahiba Gafarova presented Valentina Matviyenko with the book ‘Garabagh Before and After the Occupation’.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis