On July 19, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met with the delegation led by the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament, David McAlister, who was on a working visit to our country.
The press and public relations department of the Milli Majlis told SIA that the chairman of the parliament welcomed the guests and expressed his belief that this visit and the discussions to be held within the framework of the visit will contribute to the further strengthening of cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan, as well as between the European Parliament and the Milli Majlis.
Sahiba Gafarova said that Azerbaijan is interested in the development of relations with the European Union. Also adding that cooperation with the EU is one of the priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.
High-level visits and meetings play an exceptional role in the development of bilateral relations. In this context, S. Gafarova recalled the visit of the President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel to Azerbaijan in July 2021. She said that the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit of the European Union in Brussels in December 2021, as well as the visits of our head of state to Brussels in April and May of this year, demonstrate the nature of relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union.
The chairman of the Milli Majlis drew attention to the fact that a number of important documents were signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan. We are currently in the final stages of negotiations on signing a new partnership agreement with the European Union. In addition, Azerbaijan has signed documents on strategic partnership with nine members of the European Union, which is a third of the member states.
Sahiba Gafarova noted that, along with oil, Azerbaijan has become a reliable supplier of natural gas to Europe. Yesterday, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the European Commission Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting our country, signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of energy between Azerbaijan and the European Union represented by the European Commission".
During the talks, the Speaker of the Parliament informed the guests about the structure and activities of the Milli Majlis and answered their questions.
Then S. Gafarova stated that Azerbaijan liberated its territories occupied by Armenia for 30 years in 2020 as a result of the Patriotic War. With this, Azerbaijan has ensured the implementation of 4 resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council on the conflict. After liberating its territories, Azerbaijan started large-scale reconstruction and construction works in those regions. Currently, all the infrastructure in the liberated territories is being restored. The chairman of the Milli Majlis reminded that Armenia destroyed all our cities and regions under occupation for nearly 30 years, destroyed our cultural and historical heritage, and insulted our religious monuments. Speakers of the parliaments of some European countries, representatives of international organizations, representatives of the diplomatic corps, journalists, and other guests from foreign countries, who visited those areas, witnessed the vandalism committed by Armenia there. Despite this, Sahiba Gafarova said that it was unfair for the European Parliament to pass a resolution on the alleged destruction of Armenian heritage in Karabakh in March of this year. She noted that the allegations made in that resolution are completely false and slanderous.
"We appreciate the tripartite meetings held between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia at the initiative of the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel. Azerbaijan is a supporter of peace and continues its efforts to ensure long-term peace and stability in the region. Our country has put forward proposals for the normalization of relations with Armenia. We believe that soon a peace agreement will be signed between the two countries" the chairman of the Milli Majlis noted.
David McAlister, Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, who expressed his gratitude for the high hospitality shown, shared his impressions about the meeting he had with President Ilham Aliyev today and spoke about the importance of the discussed issues. He said that their visit to our country indicates the importance of EU-Azerbaijani cooperation. The guest pointed out that Azerbaijan is an important partner of the EU and that they want the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations. In this regard, he said that they highly appreciated the tripartite meetings held between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia at the initiative of the President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel.
The guest also shared his views on EU-Azerbaijan relations, energy cooperation, development of parliamentary diplomacy and other issues.
The meeting was attended by Samad Seyidov, the chairman of the international relations and inter-parliamentary relations committee of the Milli Majlis, Tural Ganjaliyev, the head of the delegation of the Milli Majlis to the European Union-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and other officials.
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