The 71st Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) is being held in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.

Delegations from 32 member countries of the Alliance, as well as from partner nations, are participating in the session, which is taking place from October 10 to 13.

During the session, discussions have been held on the security challenges facing NATO, strengthening the defense and resilience of the Alliance – particularly on its eastern flank, the architecture of NATO's new defense expenditures, the defense industry of Europe and the transatlantic region, the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the secure and stable future of the Western Balkans, the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, threats to the wider Black Sea region, threats to the critical maritime infrastructure of the allies, hybrid threats in the Euro-Atlantic area, geo-economic fragmentation, the defense enhancement of North America and Europe, partnership prospects with the Indo-Pacific region, the war in Ukraine, the Arctic, science and technology in a multipolar world, outer space, cybersecurity, the application of hi-tech and artificial intelligence, the future of warfare involving unmanned aerial vehicles, and other topics.

The reports adopted by the Assembly also reflected Azerbaijan’s contributions to the energy security of allied and partner countries, the role of women in humanitarian demining in Azerbaijan, and other provisions aligned with the country’s national interests.

The delegation of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan to the NATO PA, led by Member of Parliament Ramid Namazov, and the Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to NATO are actively participating in the session.

As part of the visit, the delegation held meetings with parliamentary delegations from Türkiye, Italy, Serbia, Hungary, Belgium, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania, as well as from other allied and partner countries. The meetings included discussions on Azerbaijan-NATO partnership within the NATO PA framework, Azerbaijan's contributions to the energy security of allied and partner countries, and other issues of mutual interest.

Additionally, an introductory meeting was held between the Azerbaijani delegation and the newly elected Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Benedetta Berti.

Vugar Seyidov

Special correspondent