Baku, Rome discuss expanding economic cooperation

Economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy, particularly in transport, energy, and environmental protection, was a key topic during a meeting between Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova and members of the European Union Policy Commission of the Italian Senate.

The meeting highlighted the growing ties between the two countries, emphasizing achievements in the humanitarian sphere, such as the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's projects in Italy and the Azerbaijan-Italy University. The Italian delegates noted the university as a symbol of pride for Italians visiting Azerbaijan.

Discussions also touched on environmental protection, with praise for the high-level organization of COP29 in Baku, which Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended. The Italian side expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev, noting that the successful outcomes of COP29 underscored Azerbaijan's proactive role in environmental negotiations, reflecting the European Union’s growing interest in this issue.

Speaker Gafarova underlined the importance of enhancing parliamentary relations through friendship groups and mutual visits to counter misinformation about Azerbaijan in Europe. Marco Scuria, head of the Italian-Azerbaijani friendship group on interparliamentary relations, echoed this sentiment while expressing concern over bias against Azerbaijan in PACE.

The meeting concluded with an interactive discussion, where questions about Azerbaijani-Italian relations, Azerbaijan's foreign policy priorities, the South Caucasus situation, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process were addressed.