On July 22, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova participated in the 17th meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (ASEAN PA) group, held under the organization of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, on the topic “The Role of Parliament in Strengthening the Centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Addressing Complex Global Challenges.”
elchi reports that the Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis released information regarding this.
Participating in the event in an online format, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova noted that in the modern world, states are closely interconnected, and no single state is capable of solving global challenges alone. According to her, progress in areas such as ensuring peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, food and energy security is possible only through joint efforts. In this regard, the Speaker emphasized that effective multilateral cooperation based on international law, equal dialogue, and mutually beneficial cooperation is of greater importance today than ever before.
In her speech, noting that regional organizations are one of the important pillars of international cooperation, Sahiba Gafarova stated that these organizations serve to develop dialogue, strengthen trust, and promote practical cooperation between states. She emphasized that in this sense, ASEAN continues to make a significant contribution to regional peace, stability, and prosperity, and the organization’s central role is of great importance in terms of strengthening regional cooperation and responding effectively to common challenges. The Speaker noted that the organization’s Inter-Parliamentary Assembly complements these efforts by bringing together the parliaments of ASEAN member states, thereby strengthening the parliamentary dimension of regional cooperation by supporting ASEAN’s strategic priorities.
Stating that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with the organization as an observer parliament in the ASEAN PA, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, drew attention to our country’s determination to further expand dialogue with ASEAN member states. According to her, closer cooperation with the ASEAN PA will contribute to the development of parliamentary diplomacy and the exchange of experience and advanced approaches.
Stating that parliamentary diplomacy is an important tool for strengthening trust, promoting dialogue, and supporting the peaceful resolution of common challenges, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis said that parliaments, through legislative activity, ratification of international treaties, and parliamentary oversight, strengthen the rules-based world order, contribute to the promotion of respect for international law, and the formation of effective multilateral responses to global challenges.
The Speaker emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to effective multilateral cooperation based on international law, the sovereign equality of states, and the principles of mutual respect. Citing the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, created on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, as a clear example of this approach, the Speaker of the parliament stated that the Network plays an important role as a platform for inter-parliamentary dialogue, exchange of experience, and cooperation in addressing global challenges.
Noting that inter-parliamentary cooperation is more effective based on global and regional efforts, Sahiba Gafarova also touched upon the close cooperation of the ASEAN PA with regional and international parliamentary organizations. She emphasized that this cooperation, while strengthening parliamentary diplomacy, also contributes to promoting regional perspectives at the global level.
Speaking about the cooperation between the ASEAN PA and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Speaker of the Milli Majlis stated that the organization, by having permanent observer status in the IPU, contributes to the activities of the global parliamentary community and supports the development of dialogue between the ASEAN region and the parliaments of various countries of the world. According to her, this close cooperation shows the growing role of regional parliamentary organizations within the multilateral system and also demonstrates the importance of joint action.
At the end of her speech, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis noted that parliamentary diplomacy builds bridges between peoples and states, strengthens trust, and promotes multilateral cooperation. She stated that these values are also the guiding principles of the ASEAN PA’s activities and are of great importance in terms of strengthening ASEAN’s central role and responding to modern global challenges. Thus, it was emphasized that by strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and multilateral cooperation through joint efforts, it is possible to promote the rule of international law and thereby ensure that no country is left behind.