The Ninth Plenary Session of TURKPA hosted by Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan was held on 18 December 2019 in Baku. The theme of the Session was “Parliamentary Diplomacy in the Turkic World: Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Peace and Security”.

Mr. Ogtay Asadov, Chairman of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and TURKPA Chairman-in-Office, Mr. Nurlan Nigmatulin, Chairman of Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Dastanbek Dzhumabekov, Chairman of Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, as well as Mrs. Tanzila Narbayeva, Speaker of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in the capacity of guest, took part in the event. The meeting brought together parliamentary delegations, representatives of Turkic cooperation institutions and international organisations such as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS), TURKSOY, International Turkic Academy, Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS (IPA CIS), GUAM and Women Platform of the Turkic World.

In his opening speech, Mr. Ogtay Asadov noted that TURKPA had become an influential organization and stressed the significance of cooperation within the Assembly.

Noting that TURKPA had made great strides over the past period Mr. Nurlan Nigmatulin emphasized the particular importance of model legislation that would contribute to the development of relations among the Turkic-speaking countries. Chairman positively assessed the granting of observer status to PABSEC in TURKPA and expressed his hope that Uzbekistan would also join TURKPA in the near future.

Mr. Dastanbek Dzhumabekov noted the significance of parliamentary diplomacy in contemporary world and stressed the role that TURKPA could play in tackling actual problems and challenges.

Positively assessing the work carried out within the Assembly, Mr. Mustafa Şentop invited the participants to join in the celebration of the centennial of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the next year.

Mrs. Tanzila Narbayeva emphasized that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the development of interparliamentary relations with Turkic-speaking countries and noted that the Parliament of Uzbekistan will take all necessary steps to join TURKPA after parliamentary elections that will take place on 22 December 2019.

The agenda of the Session included the adoption of reports and recommendations of the last meetings of the commissions, report of the International Observation Mission on early presidential election in Kazakhstan, revised legal documents such as the Rules of Procedure and the Regulations of the Secretariat, as well as the Regulations on Election Observation. Plenary Session, for the first time, discussed model laws on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and on Tourism with their subsequent adoption. A decision was taken on establishment of the Women Parliamentarians Group and Young Parliamentarians Group.

It was decided to hold the next Tenth Plenary Session of TURKPA in 2020 in Kazakhstan.

Baku Declaration - final document of the Tenth Plenary Session was adopted at the end of the Session.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev received the heads of parliamentary delegations participating in the Ninth Plenary Session. Also the heads of parliaments held bilateral meetings on the margins of the Session.