BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22. The
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) today hosted high-level delegations
from Armenia and Azerbaijan on the eve of the IPU’s 148th Assembly,
which takes place from 23-27 March in Geneva, Switzerland, Trend reports with
reference to IPU.
IPU President Tulia Ackson and IPU Secretary General Martin
Chungong welcomed to IPU headquarters the Armenian delegation, led
by the Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, and the
Azerbaijani delegation, led by the Speaker of the Milli Mejlis
(National Assembly) Sahiba Gafarova.
"The meeting was designed as a complement and contribution at the
parliamentary level to governmental peace negotiations between the
two sides. Parliamentarians, as representatives of the people, have
a key role to play in reducing tensions and building confidence, as
well as in ratifying and implementing any future peace agreement.
The IPU offered its good offices to the two sides to promote
dialogue, build good neighbourly relations, and to help pave the
way towards a normalization of ties between the two countries. This
was the first time that the two Parliaments had met. Both sides
agreed to continue the dialogue to rebuild trust under the auspices
of the IPU," reads the statement from the organization.
The meeting follows the IPU Secretary General's mission to Armenia
and Azerbaijan in February 2024, during which he met the
authorities at the highest levels and laid down some of the
groundwork for today’s discussions.
The IPU also signed memoranda of understanding with Armenia, which
will host the IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in
September 2024, and with Azerbaijan, in its capacity as Chair of
the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN).
“In today’s world, where conflicts dominate the headlines, the
value of dialogue cannot be overstated. Parliamentary diplomacy can
be a very important complement to governments’ ongoing efforts in
negotiating peace agreements. Parliaments and their leadership have
the ability and the power to be a force for peace and to bring
peoples together," said IPU President, Tulia Ackson.
IPU Secretary General, Martin Chungong, for his part, noted that
the IPU has identified peace and security as a focal theme for its
action in 2024.
"Promoting dialogue between parliaments in countries undergoing
conflict is something that is core to the mandate of the
Organization and something we have been doing for the past 135
years. We welcome the meeting of the two Speakers and commend their
willingness to engage in dialogue," he added.
The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was
founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organization in
the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all
nations. Today, the IPU comprises 180 national Member Parliaments
and 15 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes peace, democracy
and sustainable development. It helps parliaments become stronger,
younger, gender-balanced and more innovative. It also defends the
human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made
up of MPs from around the world.