Baku hosted the 20th meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan.
The 20th meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan took place in Baku, co-chaired by First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Andrey Yatskin and First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis Ali Huseynli.
In his remarks, the Federation Council’s First Deputy Speaker said that relations between Russia and Azerbaijan were following an upward trajectory. “This results from the high level of trust and mutual understanding between the presidents of our two countries Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev,” he pointed out.
Andrey Yatskin went on to emphasise that favourable conditions were in place to promote bilateral interstate relations in all sectors, including in terms of mutual trade, as well as cooperation in investment, energy, machine building and transport.
Developing the western section of the North-South International Transport Corridor has become a flagship project, Andrey Yatskin noted.
According to the Federation Council’s First Deputy Speaker, region-to-region cooperation makes a tangible contribution to developing Russia-Azerbaijan relations, with more than 70 Russian constituent entities involved in these efforts. “Representatives from 12 Russian regions visited Azerbaijan last year, and all of them are committed to expanding their contacts with Azerbaijan,” Andrey Yatskin said.
He expressed his belief that the 12th Russia-Azerbaijan Interregional Forum, which is scheduled to take place in 2024, will offer an opportunity to find new partners and explore new avenues for cooperation.
During the meeting, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin delivered a statement on ways to further develop and deepen interparliamentary cooperation.
Member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Alexander Bashkin talked about ways of promoting region-to-region ties between Russia and Azerbaijan.
In her remarks, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs Galina Karelova focused on the preparations for the Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum, to be held in St Petersburg on 18–20 September 2024, and invited women MPs from Azerbaijan to attend the event. “We hope that Azerbaijan will have one of the most high-profile delegations at the forum and that its presence there will generate new momentum in our interparliamentary cooperation as well as contribute to the steady and sustainable development of our two countries,” the senator said.
The meeting’s agenda included matters related to strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Ivan Abramov, as well as members of the State Duma Kazbek Taysaev and Sergei Leonov also attended the meeting.
The two delegations agreed to hold the 21st meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the first half of 2024 in Russia.
During Andrey Yatskin’s trip to Baku, he was received by Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova. During the meeting, they discussed ways to promote interparliamentary cooperation. “The shared history and culture of Russia and Azerbaijan reach back centuries. Our two nations treasure the traditions of friendship and neighbourly relations and are committed to further developing them,” Andrey Yatskin said.
He added that Russia attaches special importance to expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation both in a bilateral framework, as well as within the CIS. “It is our hope that children from Azerbaijan will take part in the Memory Train cultural and educational project in 2024,” he pointed out.
The Federation Council’s First Deputy Speaker also said that 2025 was designated as the Year of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of Fighting Nazism, and he called on his colleagues to be proactive in making preparations for these initiatives.
In addition to this, the Russian parliamentary delegation laid flowers at the tomb of Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s National Leader.