BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 17. Speaker of the
Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, met with the visiting
delegation led by Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North
Macedonia, Afrim Gashi, who is in Azerbaijan on an official visit,
on June 17, the parliamentary press service told Trend.
The North Macedonian delegation first toured the plenary hall of
the National Assembly and later visited the Heydar Aliyev Museum.
Speaker Afrim Gashi also signed the Memorial Book.
In the course of the meeting, Sahiba Gafarova expressed
satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan
and North Macedonia in all areas over the past three decades of
diplomatic ties, noting that bilateral relations are based on
genuine friendship and mutual respect. She emphasized the
significance of Gashi’s visit, which marks the first of its kind at
the level of parliamentary speakers, and noted that it would
further strengthen inter-parliamentary ties.
Gafarova highlighted the importance of the participation of
North Macedonia’s parliamentary delegation in the 65th General
Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PA) as part of the visit,
underlining its contribution to enhanced cooperation.
The sides discussed current bilateral relations and prospects
across political, economic, cultural, educational, and scientific
spheres. They emphasized the value of reciprocal high-level visits
and referred to the official visit of President Gordana
Siljanovska-Davkova to Azerbaijan in March 2025 as a milestone in
strengthening interstate relations. Gafarova recalled her meeting
with the President, stressing its importance for bilateral
cooperation.
The role of parliamentary collaboration was underlined as a key
component in fostering both bilateral and multilateral ties. It was
noted that intensifying the activities of the inter-parliamentary
working groups, strengthening cooperation between profile
committees and staff, and conducting legislative exchanges would be
beneficial.
Afrim Gashi expressed his pleasure with his first official visit
to Azerbaijan and his admiration for Baku. He praised the country’s
remarkable economic achievements and progress, which reflect the
determination and resilience of the Azerbaijani people. He added
that North Macedonia is committed to expanding ties with friendly
nations. We see Azerbaijan as a key player in its region and are
keen on deepening cooperation. Gashi also emphasized that stronger
parliamentary relations will pave the way for more frequent
governmental interactions, contributing to closer ties between the
two nations and peoples who share similar histories and values. He
noted that deepening bilateral ties would also help strengthen
regional peace, stability, and cooperation.
During the meeting, Speaker Gafarova also spoke about
Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day Second Karabakh War, emphasizing
that the country had restored its territorial integrity and
sovereignty after ending Armenia’s 30-year occupation. She stated
that despite facing violations of international law and double
standards for years, Azerbaijan implemented the UN Security Council
resolutions on its own in 2020 and put an end to the occupation.
The guests were also informed about the post-conflict situation in
the region and the extensive reconstruction and development efforts
in the liberated territories.
Moreover, the delegation was briefed on the history, structure,
and operations of the Azerbaijani Parliament.
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