The Pan-African Parliament and the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Milli Majlis (National Assembly) Press and Public Relations Department told the "Operative Information Center-OMM".
The memorandum was signed on Sept. 16 during a meeting between Milli Majlis Speaker Sahibə Qafarova and a delegation led by Pan-African Parliament President Fatih Boutbiq, who was visiting Azerbaijan.
The document was signed by Sahibə Qafarova, who chairs the Milli Majlis and the NAM PN, and Fatih Boutbiq, president of the Pan-African Parliament. Qafarova said the memorandum was an important step toward further developing cooperation between the two parliamentary platforms.
Recalling her meeting with Boutbiq in July on the sidelines of the Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments of the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa, the speaker expressed her gratitude for the high-level organization of the event and for the invitation.
It was noted that the Pan-African Parliament plays an important role in promoting interparliamentary dialogue across Africa, expanding cooperation among member states and advancing common development goals.
Qafarova said Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis attaches particular importance to developing relations with the parliaments of African countries. In this regard, she emphasized the importance of advancing parliamentary diplomacy, expanding interparliamentary ties and strengthening political dialogue.
The speaker expressed confidence that the Pan-African Parliament would serve as another successful platform for developing relations with the parliaments of African states.
Noting that Boutbiq represented the Pan-African Parliament and was also a member of the Algerian Parliament, Qafarova said bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Algeria were developing satisfactorily at various levels.
Thanking the Azerbaijani side for its hospitality, Boutbiq said Azerbaijan was the first country he had visited outside Africa since being elected to the post. Speaking about the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy, he said the organization he heads was ready to cooperate with national parliaments and international parliamentary bodies.
Boutbiq described the visit as an important step forward in cooperation and said the memorandum signed between the Pan-African Parliament and the NAM PN would elevate cooperation between the two parliamentary institutions to a new stage and lay a solid foundation for future activities.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on developing cooperation between the Pan-African Parliament and Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis, as well as between the Pan-African Parliament and the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, among other issues.
The Pan-African Parliament is the legislative body of the African Union and was established to provide a platform for representation, dialogue and cooperation among African parliaments. The NAM Parliamentary Network similarly supports parliamentary engagement among members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
