Sahiba Gafarova meets with Lao President: Details

Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova met with a delegation led by President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the upcoming Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.

The Milli Majlis Press and Public Relations Department informed TodayPress TV of the meeting.

Speaking about the significance of the Lao president’s participation in the CICA Summit in Baku, Sahiba Gafarova said that Laos’s representation at the platform was highly appreciated. Noting that this was the first official visit to Azerbaijan by a Lao head of state, the speaker expressed confidence that the visit would open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

During the meeting, the parties highlighted the important role of high-level contacts in developing bilateral relations. In this regard, they emphasised the significance of President Thongloun Sisoulith’s meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the talks held and the documents signed.

It was noted that relations between Azerbaijan and Laos were developing successfully across various areas. The two countries also cooperate actively and support each other within international organisations, particularly the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The sides exchanged views on interparliamentary relations, noting the important role of cooperation between legislative bodies in strengthening ties between the two countries. They also discussed cooperation within international parliamentary organisations, highlighting their engagement through platforms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network.

During the conversation, Sahiba Gafarova briefed the guest on the history and structure of the Milli Majlis and the activities of parliamentary friendship groups. She noted that the current, seventh convocation of the Milli Majlis was formed following the parliamentary elections held in 2024. She described the elections as historically significant because they were held throughout the sovereign territory of independent Azerbaijan.

President Thongloun Sisoulith, who noted that his last visit to Azerbaijan had taken place 44 years ago, shared his views on the country’s significant development over the intervening years. He spoke about the contributions of National Leader Heydar Aliyev to the development of Azerbaijan-Laos relations and expressed high regard for his work.

Sharing his impressions of his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day, the Lao leader said his country was interested in developing bilateral ties and exchanging experience with Azerbaijan in interparliamentary relations, education, technology, agriculture, tourism and other fields.

The guest also noted with satisfaction that he had met with students at Baku State University earlier in the day. He recalled that Azerbaijani higher education institutions had trained nearly 2,000 specialists for Laos during the Soviet era and emphasised the importance of continuing this experience.

The parties also discussed the importance of reciprocal visits by parliamentary delegations, promoting cooperation between parliamentary committees and coordinating positions on international platforms.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.

Giymat Mahir