BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 17. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, met with the visiting delegation led by Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Afrim Gashi, who is in Azerbaijan on an official visit, on June 17, the parliamentary press service told Trend.
The North Macedonian delegation first toured the plenary hall of the National Assembly and later visited the Heydar Aliyev Museum. Speaker Afrim Gashi also signed the Memorial Book.
In the course of the meeting, Sahiba Gafarova expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan and North Macedonia in all areas over the past three decades of diplomatic ties, noting that bilateral relations are based on genuine friendship and mutual respect. She emphasized the significance of Gashi’s visit, which marks the first of its kind at the level of parliamentary speakers, and noted that it would further strengthen inter-parliamentary ties.
Gafarova highlighted the importance of the participation of North Macedonia’s parliamentary delegation in the 65th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PA) as part of the visit, underlining its contribution to enhanced cooperation.
The sides discussed current bilateral relations and prospects across political, economic, cultural, educational, and scientific spheres. They emphasized the value of reciprocal high-level visits and referred to the official visit of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova to Azerbaijan in March 2025 as a milestone in strengthening interstate relations. Gafarova recalled her meeting with the President, stressing its importance for bilateral cooperation.
The role of parliamentary collaboration was underlined as a key component in fostering both bilateral and multilateral ties. It was noted that intensifying the activities of the inter-parliamentary working groups, strengthening cooperation between profile committees and staff, and conducting legislative exchanges would be beneficial.
Afrim Gashi expressed his pleasure with his first official visit to Azerbaijan and his admiration for Baku. He praised the country's remarkable economic achievements and progress, which reflect the determination and resilience of the Azerbaijani people. He added that North Macedonia is committed to expanding ties with friendly nations. We see Azerbaijan as a key player in its region and are keen on deepening cooperation. Gashi also emphasized that stronger parliamentary relations will pave the way for more frequent governmental interactions, contributing to closer ties between the two nations and peoples who share similar histories and values. He noted that deepening bilateral ties would also help strengthen regional peace, stability, and cooperation.
During the meeting, Speaker Gafarova also spoke about Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day Second Karabakh War, emphasizing that the country had restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty after ending Armenia’s 30-year occupation. She stated that despite facing violations of international law and double standards for years, Azerbaijan implemented the UN Security Council resolutions on its own in 2020 and put an end to the occupation. The guests were also informed about the post-conflict situation in the region and the extensive reconstruction and development efforts in the liberated territories.
Moreover, the delegation was briefed on the history, structure, and operations of the Azerbaijani Parliament.
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