BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 15, Milli Majlis (National Assembly) Speaker Sahiba Gafarova met with President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, the Press and Public Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Parliament reported.
During the visit, President Pellegrini was first shown the plenary hall of the Milli Majlis. The guests also visited the Heydar Aliyev Museum within the Parliament building. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini signed the Parliament’s guest book.
Speaker Gafarova highlighted the strong friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and Slovakia. She noted that bilateral relations have developed dynamically in recent years and reached a strategic partnership level. The Joint Declaration on Establishing Strategic Partnership, signed in 2024, provides a solid foundation for cooperation across various areas.
Gafarova emphasized the importance of active political dialogue, high-level reciprocal visits, and noted that the official visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Slovakia in December 2025, as well as President Pellegrini’s current visit to Azerbaijan, marks a new stage in bilateral relations. She recalled previous meetings with the Slovak President and highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary collaboration.
The discussion also focused on humanitarian cooperation, particularly in education and culture, which strengthens mutual understanding between the peoples. Direct flights between Baku and Bratislava, starting in October this year, were highlighted as a boost to bilateral relations and opportunities for cooperation.
Speaker Gafarova also praised Slovakia’s contribution to the Karabakh reconstruction process, including the “smart village” project implemented by a Slovak company in Bash Gervand, Aghdam district. A secondary school foundation laid in Aghdam with the participation of the two Presidents was noted as a symbol of Azerbaijan-Slovakia friendship.
President Pellegrini expressed his satisfaction with his official visit to Azerbaijan and being at the Milli Majlis. He recalled his visit to Azerbaijan as Slovakia’s Prime Minister in 2018, noting that his government subsequently decided to open an embassy in Baku, highlighting the importance Slovakia places on bilateral relations.
Pellegrini emphasized the strong political dialogue and cooperation in multiple sectors, praising Slovak contributions to Karabakh reconstruction projects and calling inter-parliamentary collaboration a key factor in further strengthening ties. He also expressed gratitude for the naming of the secondary school in Aghdam after a prominent Slovak figure as a symbol of mutual respect and friendship. At the conclusion of the meeting, Pellegrini invited Speaker Gafarova to visit Slovakia on an official trip and exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
