BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7. Azerbaijan contributes
to regional and international energy security, Speaker of the
Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova said at the 1st Summit of
Speakers and Presidents of Parliament of Member and Partner States
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) today,
Trend reports.
According to her, over the past 20 years, the PAM has
established itself as an important platform for developing
inter-parliamentary cooperation and promoting dialogue, mutual
understanding, and shared responsibility for peace and stability in
a strategically important region.
Noting that although Azerbaijan isn't geographically part of the
Mediterranean region, it has long-term ties and constructive
relations with the Mediterranean basin and the Gulf countries, the
speaker said that Azerbaijan contributes to regional and
international energy security through the diversification of energy
routes and supplies.
In addition, the official noted that Azerbaijan plays an active
role in the development of transport links between the East and the
West, especially within the framework of the Middle Corridor. These
efforts contribute to strengthening cooperation and promoting
shared economic sustainability.
Gafarova said that parliaments are playing an increasingly
important role in international relations and that parliamentary
diplomacy complements traditional diplomatic channels by promoting
dialogue, increasing transparency, and strengthening trust between
states.
The speaker stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy
being credible, inclusive, and based on international law,
democratic principles, as well as mutual understanding. She said
that parliamentary diplomacy should provide a platform for
constructive cooperation even in cases of disagreement.
The Azerbaijani Parliament supports this approach and attaches
special importance to cooperation within multilateral parliamentary
platforms. In this context, positively assessing the PAM's decision
to grant observer status to the parliaments of both Azerbaijan and
Armenia, Gafarova said that these countries, as President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted, are learning to live in peace after
decades of conflict.
This step can contribute to the development of dialogue and
confidence-building between the two countries, in line with the
ongoing efforts towards peace and normalization. Noting that the
countries' parliaments are also working towards building trust
between the two peoples, Gafarova said that the PAM can become
another important platform for constructive cooperation.
Gafarova recalled that Azerbaijan actively participates in
international parliamentary activities and said that the country
considers interparliamentary cooperation to be an important tool
for addressing common challenges. The speaker recalled that the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Parliamentary Network, established at
the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev and currently chaired by
Azerbaijan's Parliament, also reflects the country's commitment to
strengthening parliamentary cooperation at the global level. In
this regard, she highlighted the importance of signing the
memorandum of understanding between the NAM Parliamentary Network
and the PAM.
She noted that this important step reflects the shared
commitment to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy as an important
pillar of international cooperation, and this framework will
encourage more institutional interaction and further expansion of
inter-parliamentary relations.
Gafarova once again emphasized that effective parliamentary
diplomacy requires sustained commitment and coordinated action.
Strengthening cooperation between the PAM parliaments will also
serve peace, stability, and sustainable development.
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