Chair of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova has met with Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko.
“Elchi” reports that the Federation Council of Russia has released information regarding this.
It was stated that the meeting took place in Istanbul within the framework of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The chair of the upper house of the Russian parliament stated that Russian-Azerbaijani relations have great potential for development:
“We are committed to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan.”
Valentina Matviyenko noted the importance of the recent completion of the procedure for resolving the consequences of the AZAL plane crash and expressed her condolences to the Azerbaijani side.
Matviyenko announced that a new stage in relations with Azerbaijan has begun.
According to her, the final agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan regarding the consequences of the AZAL plane crash opens new opportunities for the further development of Russian-Azerbaijani relations:
“We are very pleased that our governments made a final decision yesterday regarding the elimination of the consequences of the tragic plane crash. We have completed this stage, and this opens new opportunities for the further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Azerbaijani relations.”
The interlocutors noted the regularity of contacts between Russian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians.
It was stated that at the end of last year, a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly and the Milli Majlis was held in Moscow, and the next meeting will be held in Baku:
“We are awaiting a proposal from the Azerbaijani side regarding the date and venue of the thirteenth Russia-Azerbaijan Interregional Forum. Currently, more than seventy subjects of the Russian Federation have relations with Azerbaijan.”
Chair of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova conveyed the greetings of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
During the conversation, the situation around Iran was discussed. The Chair of the Federation Council recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani leader for the assistance provided in the evacuation of Russian citizens from Iran, as well as in the delivery of humanitarian aid from Russia to the Iranian people through Azerbaijan.
Valentina Matviyenko and Sahiba Gafarova noted that bilateral cooperation in international parliamentary forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, is traditionally at a high level. They also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
***
Today, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met with Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko within the framework of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held in Istanbul.
This was reported by the Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis.
Speaker Sahiba Gafarova emphasized the importance of international platforms such as the IPU and the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN).
The Chair of the Milli Majlis pointed out that there is vast potential for the further development of relations between the two countries and spoke about the role of inter-parliamentary ties.
She stated that very effective cooperation has been established between our legislative bodies today, and our parliamentarians actively participate in both bilateral events and cooperate positively within the framework of international organizations.
Touching upon the joint statement of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Azerbaijan regarding the crash of an Azerbaijani plane near Aktau on December 25, 2024, yesterday, Valentina Matviyenko noted the importance of regulating the consequences of the unfortunate incident and once again conveyed her condolences.
The Chair of the Federation Council expressed her gratitude for the assistance provided by Azerbaijan for the safe evacuation of Russian citizens from Iran against the backdrop of the war in Iran.
Recalling with pleasure her meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko shared her impressions of these meetings.
During the conversation, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova emphasized the importance of the latest statement by the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.
Cultural and humanitarian ties between our peoples were also touched upon at the meeting, and the necessity of further developing mutual relations was discussed.
Views were also exchanged on other topics of mutual interest.