Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met Ogtay Asadov,
Speaker of the Milli Majlis
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in Saint-Petersburg on Sunday.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that Ukrainian-Azerbaijanian cooperation was actively developing as a strategic partnership, as confirmed by the visit of the President of Ukraine to Azerbaijan. During this meeting, the Parties signed the Declaration of the Presidents of both States on further Development of Strategic Partnership, and the Comprehensive Cooperation Action Plan for the years 2011-2015.
V.Lytvyn expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for the participation in the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Chornobyl disaster, and donation to the recovery projects. Concern of Azerbaijan about Chornobyl issues, which are essential for both Ukraine and the entire region, is another sign of the strategic partnership.
V.Lytvyn also assured that parliaments of both states would boost inter-parliamentary cooperation and ‘people´s democracy.´
V.Lytvyn considers development of bilateral inter-parliamentary connections to be an effective political tool of fostering mutually beneficial inter-state cooperation. He also informed about having accepted the invitation to visit Azerbaijan in the beginning of 2012.
In his turn, Speaker of the Milli Majlis declared that Ukraine would become a strategic partner of Azerbaijan. He called for developing relations in economic and energy sectors.
V.Lytvyn stated that dynamic development of bilateral relations in not only the demand of time, but also the result of personal contacts, mutual respect and mutual interest. He believes that it was Heydar Aliyev who laid the foundation of bilateral relations.
Dwelling upon the present political-economic situation in Ukraine, V.Lytvyn laid emphasis on the consolidation of all branches of power. "There is a team," he stated. "The country faces demanding challenges, which require responsible decisions and public support."
Agreeing to the importance of further economic cooperation, the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that humanitarian sector offers great opportunities for collaboration. Thus, he recommended developing relations in the sphere of science, education, culture, and student exchange. V.Lytvyn supposes that development of relations in this domain will draw Ukrainian and Azerbaijanian people closer. "I expect cooperation in science and education to expand the contacts," V.Lytvyn stated.
The Head of the Ukrainian Parliament supposes that science and education should become priorities of the state policy.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine congratulated his Azerbaijanian counterparts on victory of the duet "Ella and Nikki" in the Eurovision song contest.
As reported, on May 15-16, Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stays with a working visit in Saint-Petersburg to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member Nations, International Scientific Conference dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Nuremberg Trials, IV Environmental Congress and events dedicated to the 150th anniversary of T.H. Shevchenko's reburial.