Azerbaijani lawmakers arrive in Astana for key TURKPA summit

A delegation led by Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis (Parliament) Sahiba Gafarova has arrived in Astana to participate in the 14th Plenary Session and Council meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA).

At Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, Speaker Gafarova was welcomed by a number of Kazakh officials, including Albert Rau, Deputy Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Aidos Sarim, a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, and Maharram Maharramov, Secretary on Legislative and Judicial Reforms. Azerbaijani Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aghalar Atamoghlanov, TURKPA Secretary General Mehmet Sureyya Er, and other officials were also present to welcome the delegation, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

As part of the visit, Speaker Gafarova is scheduled to deliver keynote addresses at both the Council and the plenary session of the Assembly. In addition, she will engage in bilateral meetings with heads of parliamentary delegations from member states, as well as hold discussions with senior Kazakh government officials. These engagements aim to deepen parliamentary dialogue, enhance legislative collaboration, and advance shared priorities within the Turkic Parliamentary Assembly framework.

To recall, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) was founded via the Istanbul Agreement on November 21, 2008, in Istanbul, signed by the Heads of Parliament of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye.

Its first plenary session convened on September 29, 2009, in Baku, where delegates approved the Rules of Procedure, Secretariat Regulations, and the Baku Declaration, and decided to permanently locate the Secretariat in Baku.

TURKPA promotes parliamentary diplomacy by nurturing political dialogue, legislative harmonisation, and deeper inter‑parliamentary cooperation based on shared linguistic, cultural, and historical bonds. The Assembly also organises expert workshops, international conferences, forums, and election observation missions in its member countries.

By Vafa Guliyeva