As part of her visit to Malaysia, Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, attended the opening ceremony of the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Addressing the event, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova emphasized that with the growing importance of parliamentary diplomacy, AIPA has become a critical and successful platform that brings together parliaments helping to create new ideas and opportunities for closer cooperation.

Recalling that since 2022, the Milli Majlis has been participating in AIPA's forums as an observer, Speaker Gafarova mentioned that this fact demonstrates Azerbaijan's commitment to further enhance its multifaceted relations with Southeast Asian countries, and interparliamentary cooperation is an integral part of these relations.

The Speaker underlined that the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), established at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and currently chaired by the Milli Majlis, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with AIPA in March 2023, which demonstrates Azerbaijan’s commitment to promoting institutional cooperation and contributing to the realization of common goals.

Sahiba Gafarova noted that inclusive development and sustainability are strategic visions that Azerbaijan has also adopted. “The implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is considered an important element of this vision, and national development plans and strategies have been successfully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Gafarova added.

Highlighting the large-scale restoration and reconstruction efforts underway in Azerbaijan’s liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur regions, the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament underscored that the revival of these territories i