Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 4 April with the visiting delegation led by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Sahib Gafarova welcomed the guests and told them that the full membership of Azerbaijan in the CE had turned twenty years in 2021 and that all those years, our country had co-operated with the CE and its institutes actively and in the constructive dialogue spirit. The members of the Milli Majlis delegation to the PACE are closely involved in its events as well as the work of its committees. Besides – despite the pandemic – our law-makers have forever joined the PACE events, be it virtually or in the orthodox formats. And the Parliament of Azerbaijan has every intention to continue this tight co-operation.

The bilateral co-operation can become yet more thorough with the eventual adoption by Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe of the 2022-2025 Action Programme, which envisages interaction in a number of areas, according to Mrs Gafarova.

Whilst telling of the 44-day Patriotic War, Madame Speaker witnessed Azerbaijan’s dedication to peace and stability and the desire to talk about peace, exactly. Our country’s victory in that war and liberation of its own lands after almost thirty years of Armenian occupation gave birth to new realia in the region. Azerbaijan is carrying out the restoration and building undertakings at an accelerated pace so that the freed lands are demined and the former IDP can return to their native parts after close to three decades of absence without any avoidable delay. We hope, Mrs Gafarova remarked, that Armenia will fully honour its obligations under the Trilateral Statement. Signing a peace treaty is creating a new momentum behind the progress of the countries of the region, according to the leader of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

The CE Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić expressed her satisfaction with being at the Milli Majlis as well as with the hospitality extended to her delegation and herself before she mentioned the successful nature of the co-operation between the Council of Europe and Azerbaijan. The eventual adoption of a new Action Plan will make a contribution of its own to the future bilateral collaboration, in the opinion of Mrs Pejčinović Burić.

She went further to share impressions of the conversations held during this visit and emphasise the importance of the topics that have been covered. Also, there was an exchange of opinions during the meeting about various aspects and segments of the CE-Azerbaijan co-operation and other matters of interest.

The leader of the Milli Majlis delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Samad Seyidov and other officials attended the meeting as well.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis