Azerbaijan's parliament speaker nominated for Inter-Parliamentary Union presidency PHOTO

Speaker of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis (Parliament), Sahiba Gafarova, has been nominated for the post of President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The nomination was announced by Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Latif Gandilov, during a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament of Kyrgyzstan), Bolot Ibragimov, Report news agency said, citing the Kyrgyz parliament.

The meeting focused on current issues of bilateral cooperation, with particular emphasis on strengthening inter-parliamentary ties between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.

Ibragimov underlined the importance of further reinforcing the friendly and fraternal relations between the two countries, which he said are rooted in shared historical, cultural and spiritual values.

He also expressed the Jogorku Kenesh's interest in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis through parliamentary friendship groups, exchanges of parliamentary delegations and closer collaboration between relevant parliamentary committees.

The two sides also discussed cooperation within the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, highlighting its role in promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue and strengthening political, economic and humanitarian ties among Turkic nations.

For his part, Gandilov reaffirmed Azerbaijan's interest in further developing cooperation with Kyrgyzstan across all areas, including parliamentary engagement.

The presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is currently held by Tulia Ackson, Speaker of the Parliament of Tanzania, who took office on October 27, 2023 for a three-year term.