Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov has met with a delegation led by the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Fortune Charumbira, who is on a visit to our country.
This was reported to elchi by the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Welcoming the guests, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that relations between Azerbaijan and African countries have been developing dynamically in recent years. In this regard, the importance of mutual visits, political consultations, as well as inter-parliamentary relations in terms of expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation was emphasized. It was stated that Azerbaijan attaches special importance to the development of relations with the African continent.
Information was provided on the measures taken by our country to intensify mutual visits with African countries and to identify new opportunities for cooperation in various fields.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov specifically highlighted the efforts of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan in developing parliamentary diplomacy, strengthening ties with the parliaments of African countries, and expanding cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament. It was noted that the memorandum of understanding signed between the Milli Majlis and the Pan-African Parliament is of great importance.
The parties also exchanged views on Azerbaijan’s chairmanship and activities in international and regional platforms. Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that during its chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan made significant contributions to the institutional development of the Movement. In this context, the importance of the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network and the Youth Organization at the initiative of Azerbaijan, as well as the strengthening of solidarity and mutual support within the Movement, was emphasized.
Information was provided on the initiatives put forward by Azerbaijan to strengthen international solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was noted that within the framework of the fight against the pandemic, Azerbaijan provided financial and humanitarian assistance to more than 80 countries, most of which are members of the Non-Aligned Movement, and also allocated funds to support recovery processes in Africa and Small Island Developing States in the post-pandemic period. In addition, the adoption of a resolution on the equal distribution of vaccines was recalled.
Within the framework of Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency, the work carried out to expand access to climate finance for developing countries, including African states, and the importance of the decisions adopted in Baku were noted.
During the meeting, the other side was informed about the role Azerbaijan plays in the region where it is located, the measures taken to ensure peace and security in the South Caucasus, as well as the new realities that have emerged in the region after the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the large-scale restoration and reconstruction work carried out after the liberation of Azerbaijan’s territories from occupation.
It was noted that Azerbaijan’s cooperation with African countries is not limited only to the political and diplomatic sphere, and that there is great potential for cooperation in energy, transport, agriculture, mining, education, humanitarian, and other areas. The importance of the support provided by Azerbaijan to educational and medical programs in Africa, as well as to the development of institutional capacity, was emphasized.
President of the Pan-African Parliament Fortune Charumbira highly appreciated the importance Azerbaijan attaches to the development of relations with the African continent, as well as the initiatives it has implemented to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and multilateral cooperation.
During the meeting, the parties also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
