Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko held a meeting with Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova.

Axar.az informs the talks took place on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul.

The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament said that Russian-Azerbaijani relations have significant potential for development.

“We are committed to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan,” Matviyenko said.

She also noted the importance of the recent completion of procedures related to the aftermath of the 2024 crash of an AZAL aircraft and expressed condolences to the Azerbaijani side.

The two sides highlighted the regular nature of contacts between Russian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians. At the end of last year, a meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly and the Milli Majlis was held in Moscow, with the next session set to take place in Baku.

“We are awaiting proposals from the Azerbaijani side regarding the timing and venue of the 13th Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum. At present, more than 70 regions of Russia maintain relations with Azerbaijan,” she added.

Gafarova conveyed greetings from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and reaffirmed Baku’s commitment to strengthening comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The situation around Iran was also discussed. Matviyenko noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan’s leadership for assisting in the evacuation of Russian citizens from Iran and for facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Iranian people via Azerbaijani territory.

Both sides emphasized the traditionally high level of cooperation on international parliamentary platforms, including the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIS member states and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.