Chair of Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova Meets Albanian PM

The Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 14 April with the visiting delegation led by the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.

Welcoming the guests warmly, the Chair of the Milli Majlis described this visit as a token of the close friendship between Azerbaijan and Albania as well as a sign that the two countries are prepared to further their relations in every area. Mrs Gafarova said she was certain that the arrival of the Albanian delegation with Edi Rama at their head would serve to cause of strengthening and broadening the bilateral relations further. She also mentioned the fact that the Azerbaijani-Albanian diplomatic relations were turning thirty years in 2023. Our ambassadors, too, are doing a great kind of work to intensify the bipartite connexions, added the leader of the Azerbaijani parliament.

Azerbaijan and Albania are friendly states and partners; that their interaction is advancing confidently can be seen clearly from the projects like the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and the backing  they exchange under the aegis of international organisations.

Reciprocal visits and meetings matter very much for the progress of the bilateral relations, Mrs Gafarova continued, also underlining the need to step up the Azerbaijani-Albanian economic ties and trade volumes. She stressed that there were fine opportunities today to bolster the economic interaction and the trade between our countries alike.

The roles of the parliaments in deepening the relationship were highlit then. Again, two-way visits are central to the progress of the relations in this field, as Sahiba Gafarova stressed before expressing satisfaction with our MPs being represented in the international parliamentary entities and with their fruitful joint activities. She also commended the friendship groups of the two legislatures on their work.

Further, Mrs Gafarova informed Mr Rama of the outstanding victory of Azerbaijan in the 44 days’ Patriotic War; she told him that by liberating 20 per cent of its territory after close to thirty years of Armenian occupation our country had repaired its territorial integrity and, whilst so doing, had independently carried out the relevant documents adopted by a number of international organisations – including the four resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Armenia had looted all of our tangible cultural wealth and had razed our towns and villages during the occupation of those lands, according to Madame Speaker. So now, Azerbaijan is busy with the fast-paced restoration in order for the former IDP to return to their native parts. Restoration of the local communications and the earmarked projects are going to contribute to the progress of the region at large, too.

The Azerbaijani people are a tolerant people whilst our country is committed to the values of multiculturalism. Azerbaijan had sent Armenia a five-chapter package of proposals with a view to normalisation of the relations, and there have been positive signals from the opposite side already. We trust that the two countries will sign a peace treaty and that peace and stability will dawn on the region soon enough, according to Sahiba Gafarova. We want to talk of peace and not war, stressed the leader of the Azerbaijani legislature.

The Albanian PM Edi Rama expressed his gratitude for the hospitality extended by the Azerbaijani side before he mentioned the foremost importance his country attached to  promoting its relations with the Azerbaijan Republic. Albania had taken favourably Azerbaijan’s liberation of its own lands from occupation,  Mr Rama added.

It was said that the Albanian delegation included members of parliament, too. PM Rama shared his views upon the importance of inter-parliamentary collaboration in the legislative field and of exchanging experience. Albania as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council had always backed Azerbaijan, he remarked.

The Albanian PM said he believed in the continued progress of our relations.

Other matters of joint interest were broached during the conversation as well.

The Chief of the Milli Majlis Staff Safa Mirzayev, the leader of the Azerbaijan-Albania inter-parliamentary connexions working group Etibar Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Greece and Albania Anar Huseynov and other officials attended the meeting, too.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis