BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. Speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament Sahiba Gafarova met with President of the Pan-African Parliament Fatih Boutbiq during her visit to South Africa.
According to the Press and Public Relations Department of Azerbaijan's Parliament, the sides held extensive discussions on friendly relations between Azerbaijan and African countries, prospects for expanding inter-parliamentary cooperation, and other issues of mutual interest.
Boutbiq praised Gafarova's address at the opening ceremony of the Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments, describing her remarks on solidarity, friendship, and inter-parliamentary cooperation as highly significant. He also stressed the important role of parliaments in implementing the African Union's Agenda 2063.
The President of the Pan-African Parliament described Azerbaijan as a reliable partner for African countries, noting that the two sides are united by shared values and relations based on mutual respect. He emphasized that parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role in strengthening ties between peoples and advancing common interests.
Gafarova reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to developing relations with African countries.
She stressed the importance of expanding inter-parliamentary ties, strengthening political dialogue, building mutual trust, and exploring new areas of cooperation.
Gafarova also underlined the importance of continuing joint efforts at both the regional and international levels. She noted that further expanding parliamentary cooperation would serve the mutual interests of both sides and highlighted the strong potential for strengthening institutional cooperation between the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Pan-African Parliament.
The Speaker invited the leadership of the Pan-African Parliament to visit Azerbaijan, expressing confidence that such a visit would make a significant contribution to deepening bilateral ties and expanding practical cooperation.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan's Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament, as well as between the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Pan-African Parliament, interaction within international parliamentary organizations, and other issues of mutual interest.
