Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting on 1 May with the visiting delegation led by Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq Mohsen Ali Akbar Al-Mandalawi.

As she greeted the guests, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova shared with them her ideas about the significance of the inter-parliamentary conference ‘The Role and Best Practices of the Legislature in the Protection of Cultural Heritage’ held on the sidelines of the VI World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova also said that such forums provide ample opportunities to discuss issues of bilateral and multilateral co-operation. Ms Gafarova expressed confidence in the success of the discussions to be held as part of the parliamentary panel of the event tomorrow.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis was talking about the historically friendly ties between Azerbaijan and Iraq as she said that their current advancement was gratifying.

Sahiba Gafarova recalled fondly her encounter with the Speaker of the Council of Representatives at the 14^th Plenary Session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Baku in February this year. Then, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis touched upon the role of our inter-parliamentary co-operation in the deepening of the interstate ties, and underlined the significance of the interaction between the friendship groups active in the legislative assemblies of both countries.

Going further, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova informed the visitors of the current state of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and expressed confidence in the successful completion of the delimitation process and the signing of a peace treaty between the two states, as well as in the fact that this peace will be beneficial for the entire South Caucasus.

Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq Mohsen Ali Akbar Al-Mandalawi thanked for the hospitality and voiced his appreciation of the participation in the VI World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

Then, the guest shared his views on the prospects of further intensification of the work of inter-parliamentary friendship groups, as well as strengthening cooperation in the fields of tourism, education, energy. Congratulating the Azerbaijani side on the forthcoming holding of such an important event as COP29 in our country, the Speaker of the Council of Representatives mentioned the high appreciation of Azerbaijan's efforts in this direction.

The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament also talked appreciatively of the arrangement reached in the process of border delimitation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying then that he was certain of a soon signing of a peace treaty between the two countries.

There was also an exchange of views upon other matters of shared interest as the meeting went on.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis