BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova met with Speaker of Ethiopia’s House of Federation Agegnehu Teshager on July 29 as part of her official visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
The Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) announced this.
Agegnehu Teshager said that Azerbaijan is a very important country for Ethiopia, noting that bilateral relations between the two countries have further strengthened, particularly following Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s visit to Azerbaijan.
The sides noted that Ethiopia is interested in further developing cooperation with Azerbaijan in areas such as trade, investment and tourism. It was also emphasized that Azerbaijan’s achievements in tourism development serve as a successful example for Ethiopia.
The Speaker of the House of Federation said that the initialing of the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia was an achievement for Azerbaijan, adding that the country’s development and accomplishments are closely followed in friendly Ethiopia.
He particularly praised the application of the “ASAN service” model in Ethiopia and highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s technical support in this area. He noted that the model has already been introduced in Ethiopia’s regions, contributing to greater efficiency in the delivery of public services.
Speaking about Azerbaijan’s successful hosting of COP29 and the high assessment of the country’s organization of the event, Agegnehu Teshager recalled that Ethiopia will host COP32 in 2027 and said that his country intends to benefit from Azerbaijan’s experience in this field.
Sahiba Gafarova thanked her Ethiopian counterpart for the high level of hospitality, noting that Ethiopia has achieved notable progress in many areas in recent years and congratulating the country on these achievements. She said that relations between the two countries are developing at a good level and emphasized that there is significant potential for further deepening bilateral ties.
The meeting also focused on inter-parliamentary cooperation. Recalling with satisfaction her previous meeting with Agegnehu Teshager, Sahiba Gafarova said that alongside government-level cooperation, the parliaments of the two countries should also continue expanding their relations. During the discussions, the sides highlighted the contribution of mutual visits between parliamentary speakers and friendship groups to strengthening cooperation between legislative bodies. Opportunities for cooperation between parliamentary committees, friendship groups and parliamentary administrations were also discussed.
The Speaker of Ethiopia’s House of Federation noted that Azerbaijan pursues active parliamentary diplomacy and is represented in many international parliamentary organizations. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation on these platforms.
Agegnehu Teshager said that Sahiba Gafarova’s visit comes at an important time, noting that Ethiopia recently successfully held its seventh parliamentary elections and providing information about their results.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.
