BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7. Azerbaijan contributes to regional and international energy security, Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova said at the 1st Summit of Speakers and Presidents of Parliament of Member and Partner States of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) today, Trend reports.
According to her, over the past 20 years, the PAM has established itself as an important platform for developing inter-parliamentary cooperation and promoting dialogue, mutual understanding, and shared responsibility for peace and stability in a strategically important region.
Noting that although Azerbaijan isn't geographically part of the Mediterranean region, it has long-term ties and constructive relations with the Mediterranean basin and the Gulf countries, the speaker said that Azerbaijan contributes to regional and international energy security through the diversification of energy routes and supplies.
In addition, the official noted that Azerbaijan plays an active role in the development of transport links between the East and the West, especially within the framework of the Middle Corridor. These efforts contribute to strengthening cooperation and promoting shared economic sustainability.
Gafarova said that parliaments are playing an increasingly important role in international relations and that parliamentary diplomacy complements traditional diplomatic channels by promoting dialogue, increasing transparency, and strengthening trust between states.
The speaker stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy being credible, inclusive, and based on international law, democratic principles, as well as mutual understanding. She said that parliamentary diplomacy should provide a platform for constructive cooperation even in cases of disagreement.
The Azerbaijani Parliament supports this approach and attaches special importance to cooperation within multilateral parliamentary platforms. In this context, positively assessing the PAM's decision to grant observer status to the parliaments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, Gafarova said that these countries, as President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted, are learning to live in peace after decades of conflict.
This step can contribute to the development of dialogue and confidence-building between the two countries, in line with the ongoing efforts towards peace and normalization. Noting that the countries' parliaments are also working towards building trust between the two peoples, Gafarova said that the PAM can become another important platform for constructive cooperation.
Gafarova recalled that Azerbaijan actively participates in international parliamentary activities and said that the country considers interparliamentary cooperation to be an important tool for addressing common challenges. The speaker recalled that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Parliamentary Network, established at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev and currently chaired by Azerbaijan's Parliament, also reflects the country's commitment to strengthening parliamentary cooperation at the global level. In this regard, she highlighted the importance of signing the memorandum of understanding between the NAM Parliamentary Network and the PAM.
She noted that this important step reflects the shared commitment to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy as an important pillar of international cooperation, and this framework will encourage more institutional interaction and further expansion of inter-parliamentary relations.
Gafarova once again emphasized that effective parliamentary diplomacy requires sustained commitment and coordinated action. Strengthening cooperation between the PAM parliaments will also serve peace, stability, and sustainable development.
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