The Federation Council hosted the 19th session of the Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Federation Council hosted the 19th meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, moderated by commission Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova and Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Ali Huseynli.
Galina Karelova welcomed the Azerbaijani delegation on behalf of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko.
The Deputy Federation Council Speaker noted that Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation has stood the test of time and has good prospects. “The Declaration of Allied Cooperation signed last year opened a new chapter in Russian-Azerbaijani relations and gave them a powerful boost for years to come.”
She praised the events in Moscow and Baku on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev's birth.
Galina Karelova said this work is based on the unwavering core principles of equality, mutual respect and consideration for each other's interests. “Promoting implementation of the agreements on expanding the entire range of Russian-Azerbaijani relations is the objective of the parliaments in Russia and Azerbaijan.”
According to Galina Karelova, parliamentary contacts between the two countries help resolve a variety of global and regional issues. The Inter-Parliamentary Commission has an established track record as an effective interaction tool.
Galina Karelova said that joint work on international parliamentary platforms helps consolidate the legal framework underlying the efforts to expand mutually beneficial ties between the countries, including in matters of Eurasian integration. “Of course, we should factor in the changing realities of international politics and the economy, and new challenges and opportunities, if we want to see cooperation between the two countries continue.”
Russia remains one of Azerbaijan's leading foreign trade partners. “Our countries boast enormous potential when it comes to strengthening mutually beneficial economic relations,” the Deputy Federation Council Speaker said.
Separately, Galina Karelova noted the importance of expanding the North-South international transport corridor. “According to the Baku Declaration, the capacity of Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran corridor must be increased to 30 million tonnes of freight by 2030.” To achieve this goal, both parties need to focus on expanding state border checkpoints and road infrastructure, reduce the number of obstacles to the minimum and ensure seamless transport procedures.
The Deputy Speaker said Russian-Azerbaijani interregional ties were an important factor in bilateral interaction. “We saw in 2022 that mutual interest in promoting economic, cultural, humanitarian and education cooperation through the regions has remained strong with 18 Russian regions concluding corresponding agreements with Azerbaijani regions.”
In addition, Russia and Azerbaijan continue to cooperate in education and science. The countries have established contacts in IT. Galina Karelova believes that an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and the Russian Academy of Sciences was an important step towards strengthening humanitarian ties. She mentioned the Russian Academy of Sciences’ initiative to establish the Centre for Caspian Sea Studies with the five Caspian littoral states.
Ali Huseynli conveyed Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova’s greetings to the Russian parliamentarians adding that mutual support in the international arena, the greater number of mutual visits, and jointly held events, clearly show that bilateral relations are getting stronger.
He believes this meeting will serve as an important contribution to the overall expansion of inter-parliamentary ties.
Galina Karelova spoke about changes in the commission membership with Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin and First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Iliyas Umakhanov joining the commission in late 2022.
Grigory Karasin spoke about expanding and deepening Russian-Azerbaijani inter-parliamentary cooperation. “Today, we can safely say that Russian-Azerbaijani relations are on the rise. Raising them to allied level in February 2022 was a timely and far-sighted move.”
Member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Alexander Bashkin spoke about cross-border transport and logistics cooperation. The senator noted that the geographical location of the two countries is beneficial for expanding transport and logistics ties between the regions. According to Alexander Bashkin, about 80 Russian regions maintain contact with their Azerbaijani partners.
As a representative of an executive branch of the Astrakhan Region, Alexander Bashkin spoke in detail about the prospects for cooperation between the region and the Republic of Azerbaijan. “For our region, Azerbaijan is among our key partners in the Caspian Sea area. We’ve seen a significant surge in trade, which almost quadrupled as of the end of last year, and continued to grow in the first quarter of 2023.” The bulk of cargo between Azerbaijan and the Astrakhan Region is carried by rail.
The senator said the Caspian cluster had been formed in the Astrakhan Region that brought together two – seaport and industrial production – special economic zones. “Our imminent plans include building a major container hub in southern Russia. Once these plans are implemented, the Caspian cluster will become the number one cargo handling base on the Caspian Sea, which will further expand cargo traffic.”
The participants exchanged views on scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.
In closing, the participants agreed to hold the 20th anniversary meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly and Milli Majlis in Baku in the second half of 2023.
The meeting was attended by Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Inna Svyatenko, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Ivan Abramov, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on the Budget and Financial Markets Sergey Ryabukhin, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs Anatoly Shirokov, State Duma deputies, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky, and representatives of various Milli Majlis committees.