Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Pakistan sign Istanbul Declaration

The second trilateral meeting of Azerbaijani, Pakistani, and Turkish parliament speakers in Istanbul concluded with the signing of the Istanbul Declaration, which was followed by a press conference by the heads of parliament.

The head of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Mustafa Sentop, and the head of the Pakistani National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, said at the event that the signed declaration is of great importance because it will lead to even greater development of relations between the countries, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (Parliament) press service.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova welcomed the event's participants on behalf of the delegation of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis, expressing satisfaction with another visit to the fraternal Republic of Türkiye. Gafarova thanked Sentop for the invitation to the second trilateral meeting of the chairmen of the Azerbaijani, Pakistani and Turkish parliaments, as well as for the hospitality and organisation of the event at a high level.

She mentioned the sixth Day of Democracy and National Unity recently celebrated in fraternal Türkiye on July 15, stressing that the Azerbaijani people and the state condemned this treacherous coup attempt in the strongest terms from the very first minutes and, as always, took their place next to fraternal Türkiye.

About a year ago, at the initiative of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis, the first trilateral meeting of the chairmen of the Azerbaijani, Pakistani and Turkish parliaments was held, at which a triple format of cooperation was created. This format is of great importance: the current high level of relations between the three fraternal countries is characterised by the steady development of diverse cooperation, and parliamentarians, representatives of their peoples, contribute to this process by creating this platform. In addition, this platform emphasizes the significant role of parliamentary diplomacy as an important instrument of international cooperation in the modern era.

It was further said that the joint efforts made within the framework of international parliamentary organisations and fruitful cooperation also prove the need for this trilateral platform.

At the second trilateral meeting, further strengthening of this format was discussed, and the possibilities of turning it into a platform for practical cooperation between the parliaments of the three countries were considered. In addition, the speakers reflected and talked about the prospects for development.

"I would also like to mention the Istanbul Declaration, adopted in line with the second Trilateral Meeting. It reflects the unity of thoughts and our common position on many significant issues. In this sense, the Declaration is important because it shows mutual trust and mutual support of the parliaments of our fraternal countries," Sahiba Gafarova said.

She added: "In particular, I express my gratitude to the parliaments of fraternal countries for their support for the restoration and reconstruction of the lands of the Republic of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation, as well as the establishment of good-neighbourly relations in the South Caucasus based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders."

The discussions held today and the decisions taken will contribute to the further strengthening and expansion of trilateral cooperation for the benefit of our countries and their peoples, the Azerbaijani parliament speaker said.