Spanish parliamentary speaker visits Azerbaijan's parliament, eyes energy Photo

On January 23, a delegation led by Francina Armengol Socias, Speaker of the Congress of Deputies of the Kingdom of Spain, paid an official visit to Azerbaijan’s Parliament, the Milli Majlis.

The Spanish delegation toured the plenary session hall of the Milli Majlis and visited the Heydar Aliyev Museum. Following the tour, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova held an expanded meeting with the delegation, Caliber.Az reports per local media. 

The meeting highlighted the significance of the visit, which marked the first official trip to Azerbaijan by a Speaker of the Spanish Parliament. Discussions covered a broad range of issues, including the expansion of the legal framework to support bilateral cooperation, the role of economic partnership in relations between the two countries, the activities of Spanish companies in Azerbaijan, and cooperation in renewable energy, education, science, and culture.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova briefed the delegation on Azerbaijan’s initiatives to export renewable energy resources to Europe, emphasizing the country’s role as a key transit hub within the Middle Corridor. She also outlined developments in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Gafarova stated that the de facto peace following the Washington Summit held in August last year had fundamentally altered regional dynamics.

“Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev are the authors of this completely new reality of peace and security in our region,” she said.

She expressed confidence that a peace treaty would be signed after the initialing of the agreement in Washington, D.C.

Francina Armengol Socias said that Spain supports Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and is interested in deepening cooperation across multiple areas. She noted the importance of existing economic and energy ties between the two countries and said that Spanish companies are prepared to expand their presence in Azerbaijan.

The sides also exchanged views on the prospects for strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation and discussed other issues of mutual interest.

By Sabina Mammadli