An Azerbaijani delegation headed by Justice Minister Fikrat Mammadov has participated in the International Istanbul Law Congress held under the auspices of the Turkish President. The congress saw participation of more than 1,100 delegates from 40 countries, including justice ministers, chairs of constitutional and supreme courts, prosecutors general, heads of justice academies, renowned lawyers and scientists.

In his address, minister Mammadov highlighted “successful” judicial reforms conducted in Azerbaijan under President Ilham Aliyev, including the expansion of self-governance powers of the judiciary, and transparent election of judges.

He also drew the audience`s attention to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan`s lands by Armenia and expulsion of more than one million Azerbaijanis from their native lands.

On the sidelines of the congress Mammadov met with his Turkish counterpart Bekir Bozdağ to discuss cooperation between the two countries. The two noted the necessity of expanding relations in the legal sphere. They agreed that minister Bozdağ will visit Azerbaijan to get familiarized with judicial reforms.

Mammadov also met with Azerbaijani teachers and students living in Turkey and told them about wide-scale reforms in Azerbaijan, particularly measures to modernize the judicial system.