Azerbaijan, Romania discuss interparliamentary relations

Bucharest, March 19 (AzerTAc). Azerbaijan and Romania have explored ways of developing relations between their legislative bodies as a group of Azerbaijani MPs visited Bucharest. The visit of the delegation comprised of MPs Azay Guliyev, Musa Guliyev and Ganira Pashayeva took place on the invitation of chair of the Romania-Azerbaijan interparliamentary working group Yulian Yanku. The Azerbaijani MPs met members of the working group. Yanku hailed relations between the two countries. The Romanian MP said the two countries had huge potential to further bolster economic cooperation. He said Romania`s seven companies carry out various projects on ITC and oil equipments in Azerbaijan. Stressing the importance of cultural relations, Yanku praised activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation`s Romania office. The parliamentarian said his country planned to open the Romanian Institute of Culture`s first representative office in the Caspian region in Azerbaijan. Yanku noted Romania was in need of renewing its energy production. He praised SOCAR`s activities in Romania. Head of Azerbaijan-Romania interparliamentary working group Azay Guliyev described the bilateral relations as “strategic”. The MP hailed efforts of offices of Heydar Aliyev Foundation and SOCAR in Romania in developing the two countries` relations in cultural and humanitarian fields. Guliyev spoke of projects of the Foundation, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He thanked to the Romanian government and parliament for supporting Azerbaijan`s position in international organizations like NATO, OSCE, the European Union and the Council of Europe. The parliamentarian also recalled and praised statement of the Romanian MP Luchian Militaru concerning the Khojaly genocide. He expressed hope that the Romanian Parliament would also recognize the Khojaly genocide, saying some other countries` legislative bodies had adopted similar resolutions. The MP presented to Yanku a resolution on protection of cultural property in OSCE member nations to be discussed in the spring session of the OSCE PA in Baku. Guliyev expressed confidence that the Romanian side would back Azerbaijan on this issue. As part of the trip, the Azerbaijani parliamentarians visited the monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev in the Park Tei - Alley Heydar Aliyev.