Azerbaijan, Qatar agree to strengthen parliamentary relations

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan, Sahiba Gafarova, had a meeting on February 23 with the deputy speaker of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar, Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti.

During the meeting, they expressed satisfaction with the successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar in various fields, Azertag reports.

The speaker of the Milli Majlis said that mutual visits and meetings at the level of heads of two states play a significant role in the development of bilateral relations. Effective cooperation has been established between our countries in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres. There are good opportunities for further development of these relations.

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Qatari state in regional and international organisations was also highlighted. It was noted that the sides support each other's positions in the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

They also noted the positive links between our parliaments and noted that there were significant opportunities to further deepen ties. The interlocutors agreed that friendship groups in the legislative bodies of both countries could make an important contribution in this direction. Mutual visits and cooperation between parliamentary committees were also discussed. It was noted that the Qatari Parliament participates in the work of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, established at the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan, as well as in its conferences.

The Deputy Chairman of the Shura Council of the State of Qatar thanked for the hospitality shown to her and expressed her country's interest in further deepening of relations with Azerbaijan.

The meeting noted that Azerbaijan had succeeded in hosting the 14th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly. It was noted that this important event was a good opportunity for discussion of regional and international issues, as well as for further development of bilateral relations between the member countries of the organisation. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti congratulated the Azerbaijani side on assuming the chairmanship of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly and expressed confidence that new strategies and mechanisms for the Assembly would be developed during the Azerbaijani chairmanship, which would serve to further expand its activities.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.