Meetings of the committees of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Co-operation Organisation (PAECO), participated by the MPs of the member-states, were held at the Milli Majlis as the host’s legislature on 17 May.

Organisational matters were looked into; chairs, deputy chairs and reporters of the committees were selected; reports were heard about the topic of Post-Pandemic Co-operation: Challenges and Restoration Opportunities. Discussions were held.

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The chairman of the Milli Majlis Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee Tahir Mirkishili presided over the meeting of the PAECO Committee for the Trade Agreement (organisation of trade and economic co-operation). He opened the meeting by greeting its participants and saying then that the Azerbaijani membership in the PAECO would be turning thirty years in 2022 and that our country had been taking part constructively in various initiatives to expand the economic and trading links in the region since then.

The chairman of the Milli Majlis committee remarked as he was talking about the trade connexions of Azerbaijan that our country was, as suggested by President Ilham Aliyev, open to co-operation with any country but especially so with the ECO members. Mr Mirkishili did not omit to mention the new realia established in our region after Azerbaijan had freed its own lands from the Armenian occupation during the 44 days’ Patriotic War. That victory had given birth to new co-operation opportunities, Mr Mirkishili noted, proceeding to enlighten the meeting participants about those opportunities duly.

It was the Azerbaijani MP Elnur Allahverdiyev who talked about the redline Post-Pandemic Co-operation: Challenges and Restoration Opportunities. He gave an account of what had been done in our country during the pandemic and said that Azerbaijan was amongst the first countries in the world to accept the vaccines. MP Allahverdiyev added that he hoped the world would not have to face such a plague ever again.

There was an exchange of ideas about the declared topic of the meeting; the parliamentarians shared their considerations as to what has to be done in the post-pandemic period.

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The meeting of the PAECO Communications and Co-ordination Committee went under the chairmanship of the member of the Milli Majlis Iltizam Yusifov who started with a greeting to the guests and wishing the meeting participants success.     

In his presentation on the same Post-Pandemic Co-operation: Challenges and Restoration Opportunities, MP Yusifov underlined Azerbaijan’s being interested in boosting co-operation within the ECO frameworks and emphasised the immense importance that Azerbaijan attaches to expanding the transport and transit communications. MP Yusifov updated the assembly on the relevant projects under way in this connexion.

Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day Patriotic War had brought new realia and co-operation prospects to the region in general and into the transport communication sector in particular, MP Yusifov continued. Azerbaijan stands ready to partner with any party interested in reinforcing peace and fostering economic co-operation in the region, the Azerbaijani MP pointed out then.

Next, the meeting participants were exchanging opinions about the main subject. There were commentaries and remarks.

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The member of the Milli Majlis Konul Nurullayeva chaired at the meeting of the PAECO Committee for Women’s, Youth’s and Cultural Affairs and she was the one to cover the aforementioned topic of post-pandemic co-operation and the associated challenges and restoration options. MP Nurullayeva told the assembly about the Azerbaijani experience of countering the coronavirus, stressed the low ebb of human loss thanks to the cutting-edge measures put in place and said that not only the youth and women but also the cultural field had been hit hard by the pandemic.

Those taking part in the committee meeting were made aware of the restoration and rearrangement of the economic regions of Garabagh and East Zangazur after the end of the Patriotic War. MP Nurullayeva told them also that the future unblocking of regional communications and earmarked logistical projects were going to make a hefty contribution to growth in co-operation as well as to regional economic development.

Other parliamentarians’ presentations were heard; there was an exchange of views upon the redline subject of the meeting.

The Press and Public Relations Department  
The Milli Majlis