Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting with the visiting Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Great National Assembly of Türkiye Hulusi Akar on 15 April.

The progress of the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations continuing in line with the adage of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev ‘One Nation – Two States’ was mentioned at the meeting. It was said that our fraternal countries are ever together and always support each other in every matter and issue. The constant contacts between our Heads of States indicate the daily enrichment of our strategic alliance with new elements. Besides, the Shusha Declaration, inked in June 2021, is being carried into life methodically.

Next, the successful advancement of our inter-parliamentary relations in the spirit of the high-level relations of the two brotherly states was underlined. That is confirmed, yet again, by the reciprocal visits of the Presidents of Parliament, meetings at international organisations and regular contacts and mutual support of the MPs.

Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Great National Assembly of Türkiye Hulusi Akar shared the impressions from his trip to Shusha and Khankendi, saying that he had witnessed considerable development and large-scale building work apace in those provinces.

According to Hulusi Akar, the almost 30-year-long occupation of Azerbaijani territories did a serious damage to the region whereas the attitudes of such organisations as OSCE and the European Union had been exceedingly harmful. He stressed that the liberation of the Azerbaijani lands under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev had given birth to a new reality in the region, and said he hoped that Armenia would execute the necessary will to sign the peace treaty and to accept the hand of peace extended to it by Azerbaijan and Türkiye.

Also, Hulusi Akar lauded the stance of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, saying that he had once again seen the resolute will of the Azerbaijani leader in this matter.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova mentioned with pleasure the statements that the Chairman of the GNAT Committee had made whilst visiting Shusha and Khankendi. She emphasised that Shusha was a symbol and a banner of not Azerbaijan alone but of the whole Turkic World as well. Azerbaijan’s liberation of her lands from occupation was a victory of the Turkic World at large and is today a serious factor in the continued solidification of the unity of the brotherly countries.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova went further to broach the very tense processes unfolding around the world today and to say that our states were met with various forms of pressure and with double standards. Various states and circles are striving to carry out their covert plans in the region. The exceptional role of the alliance of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in regional stability and security was brought up in this context. It was said also that it was necessary to have the Turkic World united and co-operative in order to discourage such developments. Defence and security issues are key in this matter. It is necessary to discuss and strengthen regularly the parliamentary backing to the countries’ relevant co-operation. The Speaker of Parliament voiced her confidence that the second meeting of the Chairs of the TurkPA Member Parliaments’ Defence and Security Committees was going to contribute to expansion of the Organisation’s work and to intensification of our countries’ joint defence and security endeavours alike.

According to the Chairman of the GNAT Committee, Azerbaijan and Türkiye have made considerable headway in defence, security and defence industry progress whereas the pertaining steps that our countries are taking are not levelled against any third party.

The meeting also saw an exchange of opinions regarding other matters of shared concern.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis