BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 16. On April 22, a delegation led by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, visited the Milli Majlis (National Assembly). The guests were welcomed by Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, the parliamentary press service told TurkicWorld.
The Latvian President first familiarized himself with the plenary hall of the parliament. The delegation then visited the memorial hall dedicated to National Leader Heydar Aliyev, where they viewed exhibits reflecting various stages of his life and political career. Edgars Rinkēvičs also wrote his thoughts in the memorial book.
A broad-format meeting between the sides was later held. Highlighting that this is the Latvian President’s first visit to Azerbaijan in his current capacity, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova expressed hope that the meetings and discussions held during the visit would open a new chapter in bilateral relations and give a strong impetus to their development.
The Speaker emphasized the importance of high-level reciprocal visits and regular political dialogue for strengthening ties, noting that meetings between the heads of state at various events create favourable opportunities to discuss issues of mutual interest. She also recalled her official visit to Latvia in 2022 with satisfaction.
Touching upon interparliamentary relations, the Speaker noted that close cooperation has been established in this field, with mutual visits and parliamentary friendship groups playing a key role. She highlighted that in 2021, members of Latvia’s parliamentary friendship group visited the liberated cities of Aghdam and Fuzuli, while in 2024, former Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa visited Azerbaijan and travelled to Fuzuli and Shusha.
It was noted that the intensity of interparliamentary cooperation is satisfactory, and both bilateral engagement and cooperation within international organizations contribute positively to strengthening relations, as well as to promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development.
During the meeting, the Speaker provided detailed information on the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalisation process, the country’s history of independence and parliamentarism, as well as the structure and activities of the legislature.
Expressing satisfaction with his visit to the Azerbaijani Parliament, Edgars Rinkēvičs shared his impressions of his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and the discussions held. He stated that Azerbaijan is regarded as a valuable strategic partner for both Latvia and the European Union (EU). He also expressed support for the progress achieved in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and praised the efforts of President Ilham Aliyev in this regard, adding that learning the parliament’s perspective on the peace process is also of great interest.
Speaking about the importance of the issues discussed and documents signed during the visit, the Latvian President expressed confidence that the agreements reached would soon yield results. He emphasized the importance of interparliamentary relations, underlining the role of regular visits and exchanges between parliamentary members and working groups.
Edgars Rinkēvičs also shared views on prospects for expanding cooperation between the two countries in areas such as the economy, education, investment, information technologies, agriculture, tourism, and other sectors.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.
