BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 17. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, met with Chair of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Natalia Kiselova, who is visiting Baku to participate in the 65th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PA), on June 17, the parliamentary press service told Trend.
During the meeting, confidence was expressed that Kiselova’s first official visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to strengthening relations between the two countries and their legislative bodies.
Speaker Gafarova noted that as the current chair of the BSEC PA, Azerbaijan will officially hand over the chairmanship to the Bulgarian Parliament during the session, underlining the importance of the organization as a key platform for interparliamentary cooperation.
Gafarova emphasized that Azerbaijan and Bulgaria are friendly and strategic partner countries, highlighting the pivotal role of reciprocal visits between President Ilham Aliyev and President Rumen Radev in advancing bilateral ties. She noted the dynamic and productive cooperation across various sectors, especially in energy.
The sides also discussed the importance of expanding trade turnover and expressed satisfaction with ongoing cooperation in humanitarian, educational, scientific, and cultural fields, including the operation of language and cultural centers. Speaker Gafarova underlined the positive impact of interparliamentary engagement, particularly through the joint activity of friendship groups.
Discussions also covered enhancing cooperation between parliamentary committees and boosting collaboration within international parliamentary organizations.
Chair Kiselova expressed her satisfaction with the high level of Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations and said her visit reflects the strength of these ties. She noted the significance of BSEC PA in advancing cooperation between the countries. Kiselova also highlighted the appreciation of the Bulgarian people for the restoration of the Trapezitsa Archaeological Museum Reserve in Veliko Tarnovo with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
She further shared views on the importance of regional and international parliamentary cooperation, the role of friendship groups, and parliamentary diplomacy.
The meeting concluded with an exchange of views on other matters of mutual interest.
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