Zimbabwe attaches great importance to ties with Azerbaijan, speaker says PHOTO

Zimbabwe attaches great importance to the development of relations with Azerbaijan, Jacob Mudenda, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, has stated during talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Sahiba Gafarova.

Mudenda, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, toured the parliament's plenary session hall before holding a one-on-one meeting with Gafarova, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Following their talks, the Zimbabwean delegation visited the Heydar Aliyev Museum at the Milli Majlis, where Mudenda signed the Guest Book.

During the meeting, the two speakers welcomed the strong political ties between Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe and discussed prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors.

They also recalled Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's state visit to Azerbaijan, noting that the trip featured productive discussions between the two countries' leaders.

Gafarova highlighted the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe within the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and other international organisations.

She noted that during Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, Baku placed particular emphasis on strengthening both bilateral and multilateral relations with member states while advancing shared interests internationally, adding that this approach continues today.

The two parliamentary leaders also commended the growing cooperation between their legislatures. Gafarova warmly recalled Mudenda's participation in the Parliamentary Meeting co-organised with the Inter-Parliamentary Union as part of COP29 in Baku, as well as the discussions held during that visit.

She further pointed to their meetings on the sidelines of the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in South Africa last year and the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul in April, stressing that such engagements contribute significantly to strengthening parliamentary relations.

The sides emphasised the important role of interparliamentary cooperation in advancing both bilateral and multilateral ties. They also underscored the need to expand contacts between parliamentary friendship groups and deepen collaboration between committees in the two legislatures.

Gafarova further stated that Azerbaijan places particular importance on cooperation with Zimbabwe within international parliamentary organisations. She pointed to regular engagement through the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), emphasising the strong potential for broader cooperation on both platforms.

Mudenda expressed satisfaction with his official visit to Azerbaijan and his meeting at the Milli Majlis, sharing his admiration for Baku's rapid development in recent years.

Recalling his visits to the Alley of Honours and Victory Park, he remarked that it had been an honour to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

The Zimbabwean speaker stressed that his country places great importance on developing relations with Azerbaijan and described political ties between the two nations as being at a high level. He also emphasised that promoting the principles of multilateralism embraced by both countries and strengthening cooperation based on international law are essential to global peace and stability. In addition, Mudenda shared his views on expanding economic cooperation.

The meeting concluded with an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov