Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Parliament: “TURKPA is a tremendous platform for pursuing our shared interests”
Baku, June 12, AZERTAC
Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova delivered a speech at the press conference following the 14th plenary session of TURKPA, held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on June 12.
Speaking on the transfer of the TURKPA Presidency from Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis to the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, Gafarova expressed confidence that the new presidency would contribute to strengthening the organization and advancing joint efforts.
Highlighting that the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan places great importance on its work within TURKPA, the Speaker underscored that Azerbaijan’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the parliaments of fraternal countries is guided by President Ilham Aliyev’s principle: “The Turkic World is our family. We have no other family.”
She described the unity and solidarity among Turkic peoples - who share common national and spiritual values and trace their roots to a shared heritage - as a natural and evolving process. This solidarity, she noted, is reflected in the continuous growth of political, economic, and cultural cooperation among the brotherly nations.
Gafarova emphasized the vital role Turkic cooperation organizations play in promoting this unity. She cited the summits of the Organization of Turkic States and the informal meetings of heads of state as key examples of this collaboration. She noted that the initiative for such informal summits was proposed by President Ilham Aliyev. The first was held in July 2023 in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, and the most recent took place this May in Budapest, Hungary.
Stressing the importance of legislative bodies in fostering unity, Gafarova highlighted the essential role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States (TURKPA) in aligning and advancing cooperation among member states. She noted that TURKPA has evolved into an effective mechanism for interparliamentary engagement over the years.
She concluded by describing the Astana Declaration, adopted at the plenary session, as a reflection of the collective stance of member states on key issues, and as a symbol of trust and support within TURKPA.
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