POLITICS
Azerbaijani MP meets Italian senators, representatives of NGOs
Rome, April 2, AZERTAC
An Azerbaijani delegation led by chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs under the President of Azerbaijan, MP Azay Guliyev has met with Italian senators, including Sergio Divina, Roberto Muro, Maria Rizzotti, Nunziante Consilio as part of their visit to the country.
Mr. Guliyev highlighted the aim of the visit and the activity of the Council. He noted that the Council played the role of a bridge between the state and NGOs, and supported them in various fields. The Council has 11 members. The organization has funded 3,500 projects up to now.
Touching upon the Italian-Azerbaijani bonds, Mr. Guliyev said the activity of interparliamentary friendship groups contributed to development of relations.
Speaking on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the MP said Armenia`s military aggression resulted with occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s territories, more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs.
Senator Sergio Divina hailed the activity of the Council, and noted that the successive coordination between the government and NGO was an important factor. The Senator stressed the importance of the TAP project, which will transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe via Italy.
The Azerbaijani MP met with Italian minister of Labour and Social Policy Giuliano Poletti. The meeting discussed the role and participation of citizens in the society.
Mr. Guliyev briefed the Minister of the history and activity of the Council, and said the goal of the Council was to support public initiatives of civil society and to provide coordination between the government and NGO sector.
During the trip, the Azerbaijani delegation also met with representatives of several Italian NGOs.
Magsud Dadashov
Special correspondent