BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22. The Speaker of the
Parliament of Azerbaijan, Sahiba Gafarova, participated in the 17th
AIPA (Association of Southeast Asian Nations Inter-Parliamentary
Assembly) Caucus on "The Role of Parliament in Strengthening ASEAN
Centrality in Navigating Complex Global Challenges" hosted by the
House of Representatives of Indonesia on July 22.


This was reported by the Press and Public Relations Department
of the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan).


Participating in the event online, Gafarova noted that in the
modern world, states are closely interconnected and no state is
able to address global challenges alone. According to her, progress
in areas such as ensuring peace and security, sustainable
development, climate action, food and energy security is possible
only as a result of joint efforts. In this regard, the speaker
emphasized that effective multilateral cooperation based on
international law, equal dialogue, and mutually beneficial
cooperation is more important today than ever.


In her speech, Gafarova noted that regional organizations are
one of the important pillars of international cooperation, and said
that these organizations serve to develop dialogue between states,
strengthen trust, and promote practical cooperation. She emphasized
that in this sense, ASEAN continues to make a significant
contribution to regional peace, stability, and prosperity, and the
organization's central role is of great importance in terms of
strengthening regional cooperation, as well as effectively
responding to common challenges. The speaker noted that the
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the organization complements these
efforts by bringing together the parliaments of ASEAN member
states, thus supporting ASEAN's strategic priorities and
strengthening the parliamentary dimension of regional
cooperation.


Pointing out Azerbaijan's attaching great importance to
cooperation with the organization as an observer parliament in the
AIPA, the Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan highlighted the
determination of our country to further expand dialogue with ASEAN
member states. According to her, closer cooperation with the AIPA
will contribute to the development of parliamentary diplomacy, the
exchange of experience, and advanced approaches.







Gafarova, speaking about parliamentary diplomacy as an important
tool in terms of strengthening trust, promoting dialogue, and
supporting the peaceful resolution of common challenges, said that
parliaments, through legislative activity, ratification of
international treaties, and parliamentary oversight, strengthen the
rules-based world order, contribute to promoting respect for
international law, and the formation of effective multilateral
responses to global challenges.


The speaker emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to effective
multilateral cooperation based on international law, the principles
of sovereign equality of states, and mutual respect. Pointing to
the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, established at the
initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev, as the best example of this approach, the Speaker of the
Parliament said that the network plays the role of an important
platform for inter-parliamentary dialogue, exchange of experience,
and cooperation in addressing global challenges.


Noting more effective interparliamentary cooperation on the
basis of global and regional efforts, Gafarova also touched upon
the close cooperation of the AIPA with regional and international
parliamentary organizations. She emphasized that this cooperation,
in addition to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy, contributes
to the promotion of regional views at the global level.


Regarding the cooperation between the AIPA and the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Speaker of the Parliament of
Azerbaijan said that the organization, having a permanent observer
status in the IPU, promotes the activities of the global
parliamentary community and supports the development of dialogue
between the ASEAN region and parliaments of various countries of
the world. According to her, this close cooperation demonstrates
the growing role of regional parliamentary organizations within the
multilateral system and also demonstrates the importance of joint
activities.