Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Parliament Sahiba Gafarova met with a delegation led by Ervin Ibrahimović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, on December 20.
The meeting focused on the current state and prospects of the friendly and partnership-based ties between Azerbaijan and Montenegro. The role of reciprocal high-level and summit visits in advancing bilateral relations was highlighted, including the official visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Montenegro in 2013, and the visit of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović to Azerbaijan in November 2024 in connection with COP29.
Discussions covered cooperation in economic, tourism, investment, and other spheres, along with various aspects of the bilateral agenda. It was emphasized that active and constructive political dialogue creates new opportunities in other fields, while humanitarian and cultural cooperation remains an important factor in bringing the peoples of the two countries closer together.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation was recognized as a key component of bilateral relations, with special attention given to the role of parliamentary diplomacy. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova highlighted her official visit to Montenegro in April 2024 and the high-level meetings held there, as well as subsequent visits of the Chairmen of the Montenegrin Parliament to Azerbaijan. She underscored the importance of contacts between legislative bodies, reciprocal visits, and the work of parliamentary friendship groups in strengthening inter-parliamentary dialogue. The Speaker also stressed the value of exchanging legislative experience between specialist committees and providing mutual support in international parliamentary organizations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Montenegro Ervin Ibrahimović emphasized the importance his country attaches to furthering relations with Azerbaijan and praised the close political dialogue between the two countries. He expressed gratitude for last year’s visit of the Speaker of the Milli Majlis to Montenegro and highlighted its contribution to advancing bilateral relations.
Noting that Azerbaijan was Montenegro’s largest investor in 2019, Ibrahimović also highlighted the significant role of the tourism sector in developing inter-state relations and underscored the extensive opportunities for deepening cooperation in this area.
