The Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova received on 15 October the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Bahram Ashrafkhanov

The Speaker welcomed the guest cordially, congratulated him on the posting as ambassador to our country and wished him success in the upcoming work. She said that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan had always had friendly ties whilst the visits the two states’ leaders had exchanged had contributed importantly to the continued expansion of the bilateral cooperation – political, economic and otherwise.

The Chair touched upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Highland Garabagh; she mentioned that the 4 resolutions of the UN Security Council concerning the problem’s solution had not been enforced yet whilst Armenia continued pursuing its occupation policy. The enemy made another provocation on the line of contact by opening fire on our military units and civilian communities on 27 September. The Azerbaijani Army retaliated with a counter-offensive so as to stop the Armenian armed forces’ provocations and ensure the civilian population’s security.

The Speaker emphasised that the Armenian armed forces never stopped their guileful intentions but are trampling upon the international legal norms and subjecting the provinces and towns of Azerbaijan far from the frontline – including the second-largest city of Ganja – to intensive missile barrages even after the humanitarian ceasefire was declared following the trilateral negotiations held in Moscow.

The Chair stressed Azerbaijan’s adherence to a peaceful settlement in keeping with the international law norms and in accordance with the national territorial integrity principle.

Ambassador Ashrafkhanov thanked Sahiba Gafarova for the cordial welcome and congratulated her on the election as Chair of the Milli Majlis.

He then said that he could witness large-scale reforms being implemented from his very first day in Azerbaijan and went further to remark on the praiseworthiness of the comprehensive progress manifest in Azerbaijan.

Mr Ashrafkhanov stated Uzbekistan’s support for Azerbaijan’s stance in its conflict with Armenia over Highland Garabagh.

As regards the recent trip to Ganja that the Azerbaijani side had arranged for the diplomatic missions in the country, during it Mr Ashrafkhanov had witnessed the tragic consequences of the Armenian missile assaults on the civilian population and civilian facilities. He condemned sternly the murder of innocent people.

The Ambassador promised the Chair to make every effort to further the relations between our countries during his diplomatic tenure in Azerbaijan.

They also exchanged opinions about the progress in the relations between our countries, broadening the collaboration between the two parliaments, ways to resolve regional conflicts and other matters at hand.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis