On May 18–19, a group of Belarusian parliamentarians led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Igor Sergeyenko, visited Azerbaijan. The Belarusian delegation was received by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Ali Asadov, and Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, and also participated in the World Urban Forum.
Strategic partners
On the morning of May 19, the Belarusian delegation laid a wreath and flowers at the graves of Heydar Aliyev and his wife, Zarifa Aliyeva.
“Belarus values the trust-based nature of its relations with Azerbaijan, which are founded on mutual respect for each other’s interests,” said Igor Sergeyenko during a meeting with Ilham Aliyev, held on the same day.
The Belarusian parliament speaker conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from Alexander Lukashenko to Aliyev, noting that relations between the two leaders are characterised by a high level of trust and friendship and serve as a model for other state institutions.
The strategic partnership between Minsk and Baku is currently developing in various directions, with the parliaments of both countries making a significant contribution to this process. At the same time, both countries often face hostile external actions.
Igor Sergeyenko separately thanked Azerbaijan for its support of the Belarusian Republic at the international level. In turn, he noted that Belarus is also always ready to assist its Azerbaijani friends.
In December 2021, Ilham Aliyev refused to support the anti-Belarus paragraph of a resolution at the European Union’s Eastern Partnership summit. “We thank the brotherly Azerbaijan, who knows well the value of sovereignty and independence, for the consistent and uncompromising support of our country in the international arena,” the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated at the time.
Cities of the world — for peace and security
The Belarusian Speaker congratulated Azerbaijan on the successful hosting of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum, organized at the highest level. On May 18, the Belarusian parliamentary delegation took part in its work. The forum was opened by Ilham Aliyev and the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.
Igor Sergeyenko, speaking at the event, stated: “In the title of our forum’s theme, there are the words ‘peace’ and ‘security.’ This is more relevant today than ever. Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly stated: ‘Without peace, there is no sustainable development.’” The Belarusian Speaker also reaffirmed Minsk’s commitment to its international obligations and to a peace-oriented foreign policy based on mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the areas of infrastructure development and urban environment improvement.
Igor Sergeyenko also drew attention to the global crisis in providing people with housing: “Today, the housing issue and the problem of comfortable living conditions are quite acute. The world is highly urbanised: 3.5 billion people, practically every second person, live in cities. In many countries, the housing issue is particularly severe: more than 1.1 billion people live in slums and in poorly equipped, unorganised housing. Most countries face challenges in further developing landscaped areas, improving territories, and processing secondary resources.”
Belarus consistently advocates the creation of “smart cities” with energy-saving technologies based on social justice and housing accessibility for all, implementing the UN-Habitat initiative for sustainable urban development in its cities and towns.
The economic foundation of a strong friendship
Housing construction is one of the aspects of the Belarusian-Azerbaijani partnership. In the Aghdam district, a joint Belarusian-Azerbaijani project is being implemented to build an agro-town.
Economic cooperation was discussed on May 19 during a meeting between the Belarusian delegation and the Azerbaijani Prime Minister, Ali Asadov. During the meeting, Igor Sergeyenko emphasised the strategic importance of the goal set by Alexander Lukashenko and Ilham Aliyev — reaching a mutual trade turnover of $1 billion.
At the same time, the Belarusian side sees the solution not only in increasing the volume and range of supplied goods, but primarily in establishing joint high value-added production facilities and implementing major infrastructure projects.
Therefore, during the meeting with the head of the Azerbaijani government, issues related to the ongoing implementation of joint production of tractors, municipal and firefighting equipment, elevators, the construction of an agro-town, as well as cooperation in the design of new metro lines in Baku were discussed.
The negotiations with Azerbaijani government colleagues also involved Alexandr Studnev, Minister of Architecture and Construction, who was part of the delegation.
The Belarusian delegation was able to see the successful development of bilateral economic cooperation firsthand by visiting the Belarusian food retail chain “Belaruski.” The chain began operating in 2016; today it includes seven grocery stores and cooperates with more than 50 Belarusian enterprises.
However, according to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the potential for mutual tourism has not yet been fully realised.
A shared future
On May 19, a meeting was also held with the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, at whose invitation the Belarusian delegation arrived in Baku. The Speaker of the Belarusian parliament informed his Azerbaijani counterpart about improvements in Belarusian legislation in the areas of national security and the protection of the country’s economic and technological sovereignty, as well as about the use of experience from Azerbaijani legislators.
Today, a high level of cooperation has been established between the parliaments of the two countries: regular meetings of their leaders take place, and a friendship group is continuously active. In addition, Belarusian deputies are implementing a new initiative — direct participation in the work of the intergovernmental commission on Belarus–Azerbaijan cooperation. In the near future, the parliamentary agenda includes facilitating the establishment of direct contacts between Azerbaijani and Belarusian producers. Belarus is also expected to host the Days of Azerbaijani Culture soon.
The Azerbaijani and Belarusian peoples are linked by many ties, including the memory of their joint struggle against fascism during the Second World War. It is important to honour the shared feat of our ancestors who gave their lives in the fight against fascism for freedom and independence, and also to oppose any attempts to falsify history.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives invited deputies of the Milli Majlis to the 2nd International Patriotic Forum of the Union State, “Great Heritage — Common Future,” scheduled to take place in June in Brest. This once again underscores the importance of mutual support in international organisations, as pressure on our countries has not yet ceased.
