BAKU, Azerbaijan, July
31. Speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament Sahiba Gafarova met
with President of the Pan-African Parliament Fatih Boutbiq during
her visit to South Africa.


According to the Press and Public Relations Department of
Azerbaijan's Parliament, the sides held extensive discussions on
friendly relations between Azerbaijan and African countries,
prospects for expanding inter-parliamentary cooperation, and other
issues of mutual interest.


Boutbiq praised Gafarova's address at the opening ceremony of
the Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments,
describing her remarks on solidarity, friendship, and
inter-parliamentary cooperation as highly significant. He also
stressed the important role of parliaments in implementing the
African Union's Agenda 2063.


The President of the Pan-African Parliament described Azerbaijan
as a reliable partner for African countries, noting that the two
sides are united by shared values and relations based on mutual
respect. He emphasized that parliamentary diplomacy plays an
important role in strengthening ties between peoples and advancing
common interests.


Gafarova reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to developing
relations with African countries.


She stressed the importance of expanding inter-parliamentary
ties, strengthening political dialogue, building mutual trust, and
exploring new areas of cooperation.


Gafarova also underlined the importance of continuing joint
efforts at both the regional and international levels. She noted
that further expanding parliamentary cooperation would serve the
mutual interests of both sides and highlighted the strong potential
for strengthening institutional cooperation between the
Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement and the
Pan-African Parliament.


The Speaker invited the leadership of the Pan-African Parliament
to visit Azerbaijan, expressing confidence that such a visit would
make a significant contribution to deepening bilateral ties and
expanding practical cooperation.


The meeting also included an exchange of views on prospects for
cooperation between Azerbaijan's Parliament and the Pan-African
Parliament, as well as between the Parliamentary Network of the
Non-Aligned Movement and the Pan-African Parliament, interaction
within international parliamentary organizations, and other issues
of mutual interest.