Baku, February 21, AZERTAC

Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has responded to the letter from President of the European Parliament (EP) Roberta Metsola.

In her letter, Speaker of Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova mentioned that the cooperation between the legislative branches gains a special importance in light of the excellent relations between the Azerbaijan and the European Union, and even greater prospects for future development of these relations.

“The Milli Majlis has always demonstrated its readiness to deepen the interaction with the European Parliament. I also appreciate your words on commitment of the European Parliament to continue building good relations with the Milli Majlis in the spirit of mutual respect,” Sahiba Gafarova noted.

“Having said this, I would like to note that members of our parliament, who are also represented in international co-operation mechanisms, have every right to express freely their opinion on the issues that fall within their duties and responsibilities. Censorship is not tolerated in our parliament,” the speaker said.

“Based on the intention of further expanding dialogue with their European counterparts, our delegates to the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) have been active in communicating with their colleagues and working on new initiatives aimed at developing mutually beneficial collaboration. However, we would like to see the same level of engagement from the European Parliament. False, biased and one-sided accusations expressed in prejudiced statements and resolutions cannot be regarded as constructive criticism and do not serve for the stated objectives. Also, the PCC should become a platform conducive to enhancement of cooperation between the Milli Majlis and the European Parliament through joint efforts, which it is intended for,” Gafarova mentioned.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova also expressed hope for further strengthening of cooperation between the two institutions based on mutual trust and understanding.