Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Assembly of the State of Qatar Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti on 23 February.

Satisfaction with the successful advance of the diverse relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar was expressed during the meeting. The Chair of the Milli Majlis remarked that reciprocal visits and meetings of the two Heads of State factored importantly into the progress of the bilateral relations. There is effective co-operation between our countries in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres. There are also sound opportunities for further expansion of these ties.

The Azerbaijani-Qatari co-operation in regional and international organisations was stressed, too. They talked about the two sides’ mutual support for each other’s stances in the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.

Further, they touched upon the positive links between our legislatures, and underscored the tangible opportunities to deepen the relations further. It was agreed that the friendship groups active in both legislative bodies could contribute to the cause substantially. Among other things, issues of mutual visits and co-operation between parliamentary committees were discussed. It was said that the Parliament of Qatar is involved in the work of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, established on the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan, as well as in the conferences of the Network.

Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Assembly of the State of Qatar voiced her appreciation of the hospitality extended to her and said that her country was interested in making its connexions with Azerbaijan more profound.

They spoke of the successful hosting of the 14^th Plenary Session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly by Azerbaijan. It was said that this important event had provided a fine opportunity to discuss the regional and international agendas as well as to bolster bilateral ties between the Assembly’s Member States. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti congratulated the Azerbaijani side on the assumption of chairmanship in the APA and said she believed that new strategies and mechanisms to broaden the activities of the Assembly further would be developed during the Azerbaijani chairmanship.

The meeting also saw an exchange of opinions about other topics of shared interest.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis