Baku, May 15, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received President of the Arab Parliament Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi.

The head of state expressed satisfaction with Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi’s participation in a special session of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan to mark the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev underlined that the Great Leader had placed a great emphasis on developing relations with the Arab countries, adding this policy is continued today, which is vividly testified by his multiple meetings with heads of Arab nations and reciprocal visits. The head of state underlined that both peoples are bound by shared history, said that relations with the Arab nations are developing successfully and comprehensively, adding his invitation to the Arab League Summit last year is an indicator of well-developed relations.

The Azerbaijani leader hailed Arab countries’ solidarity shown to Azerbaijan during both the years of occupation, the 2nd Karabakh war and after the country’s victory, and highlighted the importance of multiple resolutions concerning Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Azerbaijani President noted that Armenians had committed cultural genocide against Azerbaijani people during 30 years of occupation with Islamic material cultural heritage destroyed including 65 mosques out 67 ruined by them. The head of state briefed Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi on the ongoing restoration and rebuilding works in the liberated Azerbaijani territories.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the Azerbaijan trip by the President of the Arab Parliament would contribute to expansion of cooperation.

Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi thanked for the warm words by saying: “We are honored to meet such a great world leader as you and participate in the events held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.”

He conveyed to the head of state the greetings from King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked for the greetings and asked to pass on his own greetings to the King and Crown Prince of Bahrain. At the same time, the head of state paid respect to the leaders of friendly and brotherly Arab nations.

Noting that the Arab Parliament consider Azerbaijan as a brotherly country, Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the support provided to the Palestine issue.

Describing President Ilham Aliyev as a worthy successor of the Great Leader, the President of the Arab Parliament praised achievements gained by Azerbaijan thanks to the wise and visionary policy of the President of Azerbaijan. He said that Azerbaijan is developing on the basis of the wisdom of Islamic values, and that these values prevail in the country.

Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi noted that it is his second visit to the Azerbaijan and pointed out that he previously visited Azerbaijan to attend the Baku Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Parliamentary Network.

The President of the Arab Parliament hailed Azerbaijan's NAM chairmanship, emphasizing that Azerbaijan had been pursuing a very consistent policy towards the Movement’s institutionalization and strengthening its international influence.

President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan had always supported Islamic solidarity. In this regard, the head of state mentioned the recent opening of the Azerbaijan's diplomatic mission in Palestine, the visit of the Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister to Palestine and the construction of a school there by Azerbaijan. The head of state recalled Azerbaijan's hosting of the Islamic Solidarity Games. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his concern about the rise of Islamophobic trends in Europe and condemned them, emphasizing that a very important international conference on Islamophobia had been hosted by Azerbaijan some time ago. The head of state underscored the importance of creating a joint platform in this regard in the future.

During the meeting, they emphasized the importance of expanding Azerbaijan’s relations with Islamic and Arab countries in the fields of economy, trade, and investment, expressing confidence that joint efforts would contribute to further development of cooperation.

Then, Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Asoomi presented a keepsake to the head of state. Emphasizing that this gift had been given only to the leaders of the Arab states, the President of the Arab Parliament said that he is honored to present this gift to the President of Azerbaijan as an exception.