BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. The Speaker of the
Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, delievered speech at the
60th plenary session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (CIS
PA) as part of her working visit to St. Petersburg, Russia, today,
a source in the parliament told Trend.


Speaking at the session, she emphasized the important role of
the assembly in the development of dialogue and cooperation between
our legislative bodies, as well as its role as a platform for
discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest. In this
regard, Gafarova noted the importance of the assembly holding
regular events, meetings, and seminars, as well as the
implementation of its new successful ideas and initiatives.


Informing the participants of the event about the 13th session
of the UN World Urban Forum in Baku, she noted that the 13th
session of the UN World Urban Forum, held in Baku on May 17-22, is
one of the most influential and global international events
dedicated to the issues of sustainable development of cities and
urbanization. It was noted that the 13th session held in Baku is
the largest-scale session ever organized by the UN-Habitat Program,
and a record number of participants - more than 45,000 from 182
countries - have registered.


Gafarova highlighted that holding this session in Baku confirms
the recognition of Azerbaijan's ability to unite communities and
countries around a common goal. As President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev emphasized at the opening of the forum, "Azerbaijan is
situated between Europe and Asia and has always been the place
where East and West meet."


The speaker noted that within the framework of the 13th session,
a separate event of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly was held on
the topic of "Sustainable Development of Mountain Settlements". It
was noted that this initiative of the assembly allowed focusing on
the development of mountain areas, which are of particular
importance for many Commonwealth countries, as well as to conduct a
meaningful and concrete exchange of experience. It was noted that
the active participation of parliamentarians of the CIS countries
in these discussions was gratifying.


Gafarova noted that the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly is not only
a multilateral, but also a platform that contributes to the
development of bilateral cooperation between CIS parliaments. She
noted her participation in the Second Asian Women's Forum, which
was held in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, a few days ago, together with
other colleagues from the CIS PA.


The speaker said that the next 24th meeting of the
Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the
Parliament of Azerbaijan and the Federal Assembly of Russia will be
held in June. She also noted the importance of the initiatives of
the CIS PA aimed at strengthening humanitarian cooperation.


In her speech, she also mentioned the monitoring activities of
the CIS PA related to the elections and noted the role of the CIS
PA International Institute for Monitoring the Development of
Democracy, Parliamentarism and Compliance with the Electoral Rights
of Citizens in the institutional support of this activity of the
organization.


Gafarova recalled that on December 8, 2025, an international
conference was held on the topic "Heydar Aliyev - the founder of
constitutionalism and parliamentarism of sovereign Azerbaijan"
jointly organized by the Azerbaijani Parliament and the Baku branch
of the International Institute.


The conference is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the
Constitution of Azerbaijan and the 107th anniversary of the
Azerbaijani Parliament. This conference brought together
parliamentarians of the Commonwealth countries, the leadership of
the Secretariat of the CIS PA Council, representatives of the
diplomatic corps, higher education institutions, and experts.


Some time ago, in early May, a round table on the topic "The
Role of Parliamentarians in International Observation" was held in
the administrative building of the Baku branch of the CIS PA,
dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the International Institute
for Monitoring the Development of Democracy.


The speaker added that the CIS PA continues to confidently play
the role of an effective platform for regular interaction between
parliaments. She expressed confidence that joint efforts will
continue in the future to further expand and strengthen cooperation
in various directions within the framework of the assembly.


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