Azerbaijan's Speaker discusses regional stability, economic cooperation with Italian senators in Rome

Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova met with members of the European Union Policy Commission of the Italian Senate and the Italy-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group during her official visit to Italy.

According to the Parliament's press department, Senator Giulio Terzi, welcoming Speaker Gafarova, expressed confidence that this visit would contribute to the development of bilateral relations, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He reiterated his condolences to Gafarova over the 35th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy and the plane crash that occurred on December 25, 2024.

The senator noted that the condolences expressed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani regarding the plane crash were a clear example of the friendship between the two countries.

Speaker Gafarova, thanking for the warm reception, highlighted the high level of Azerbaijan-Italy relations. During the conversation, it was noted that reciprocal visits play a significant role in the further development of ties. The visits of President Ilham Aliyev to Italy, including the one in September last year, as well as the visit of the President of Italy to Azerbaijan, played an important role in expanding and deepening bilateral relations.

The discussions also covered fruitful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy in various areas, including economic interaction, particularly in transportation and energy. Positive developments in the humanitarian sector were noted, especially the importance of projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Italy. The activity of the Azerbaijan-Italy University was also highlighted. Members of the commission mentioned that this university is a source of great pride and honor for every Italian visiting Azerbaijan.

One of the important topics of discussion was environmental protection. Italy's Prime Minister's participation in COP29 also demonstrates Italy’s significant attention to this issue. The Italian side expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan, particularly President Ilham Aliyev, for the high level of organization and conduct of COP29. It was noted that the successful organization of the conference and the important results achieved reflected Azerbaijan’s position. Ongoing negotiations on environmental issues reflect the European Union's interest in this topic.

During the conversation, Gafarova emphasized the role of friendship groups in enhancing relations between the parliaments of the two countries and highlighted the importance of frequent reciprocal visits. According to the speaker, such visits will contribute to informing the public in light of the spread of false information about Azerbaijan in Europe.

Marco Scuria, the head of the Italy-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group, also shared his thoughts on the prospects of bilateral relations. He expressed concern about the biased stance towards Azerbaijan in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The meeting continued in an interactive format, with the Azerbaijani Parliament speaker responding to questions from the Italian side regarding Azerbaijan-Italy relations, Azerbaijan’s foreign policy priorities, the current situation in the South Caucasus, and the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.