House Chair Rasi Receives Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev

Bratislava, 9 December (TASR) - Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) welcomed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Bratislava Castle on Tuesday, the Parliament Office's communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that this is the first official visit by an Azerbaijani president to Slovakia since our country gained independence. High on the agenda of discussion were strengthening parliamentary cooperation, energy security, and major investment projects by Slovak companies in the reconstruction of Karabakh. The visit took place during a period of dynamic change in the region and follows on from the building of a strategic partnership between the two countries. The Azerbaijani delegation included key ministers for energy, economy, and defence. "Further cooperation between the parliaments of Slovakia and Azerbaijan is one of the outcomes of the meeting with the president of Azerbaijan and his delegation, which also included several Azerbaijani ministers. We believe that parliaments can contribute, for example, through exchanges between the expert committees of our parliaments and by addressing challenges that are common not only to Europe but to the whole world," said Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi after the meeting. The Slovak House chair also highlighted the success of Slovak companies in the region. Slovakia is the first country to submit a project to Azerbaijan for the construction of a smart village in Karabakh. "This unique smart village being reconstructed in Karabakh by Slovak companies, will be a piece of Slovakia in Azerbaijan," added Rasi. am