Azerbaijani Parliamentary Speaker Meets UAE President to Strengthen Strategic Partnership
Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: As part of her official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, Sahiba Gafarova, held a high-level meeting with the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meeting underscored the shared commitment of both nations to deepening their strategic partnership and enhancing interparliamentary cooperation.
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Speaker Gafarova and expressed his confidence that her visit would further strengthen bilateral parliamentary relations. He emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between the two countries across political, economic, and social sectors.
Speaker Gafarova conveyed the warm greetings of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and expressed her gratitude for the hospitality extended to her delegation. In turn, the UAE President asked that his greetings be relayed to President Aliyev, reaffirming the strong ties of friendship and mutual respect between the two leaders.
During the discussions, both sides praised the robust and expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UAE, highlighting the dynamic political dialogue and frequent high-level exchanges as key enablers of the strategic partnership. They agreed that the visionary leadership of both countries has laid a firm foundation for progress across a wide spectrum of areas.
The parties expressed satisfaction with the growing interparliamentary engagement, viewing it as a vital pillar of the bilateral relationship. Speaker Gafarova noted that this marked her first visit to the UAE in her capacity as head of the Milli Majlis, and provided an overview of the productive meetings she had held during her stay.
She also highlighted the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan and the UAE’s Federal National Council, describing it as a milestone agreement that will institutionalize and further advance parliamentary collaboration.
The two leaders acknowledged the fruitful cooperation between their legislative bodies on both bilateral and multilateral fronts. They noted the strong coordination and mutual support within prominent international parliamentary organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, the latter initiated by President Ilham Aliyev.
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasized the pivotal role of parliamentary diplomacy in reinforcing bilateral ties and expressed hope that continued collaboration in this area would bring the two nations even closer together.
The meeting also addressed opportunities for enhanced humanitarian cooperation, particularly in education, science, and culture. Both sides supported the organization of reciprocal cultural programs and the development of partnerships between cities and regions, viewing them as essential for building stronger people-to-people ties.
The discussions concluded with a broad exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest, reaffirming the shared desire to expand and deepen Azerbaijani-Emirati relations in all dimensions.
