Құрметті Мәулен Сағатханұлы, Ерлан Жақанұлы, делегация басшылары, мәртебелі меймандар, ханымдар мен мырзалар!
Қазақстан Республикасы Парламенті Мәжілісінің Төрағасы Жоғары Мәртебелі Ерлан Қошанов мырзаға және барша Қазақстан тарапына бүгінгі алқалы жиынды жоғары деңгейде ұйымдастырғаны үшін зор алғысымды білдіремін.
ТҮРКПА-ның Бас хатшысы, әріптесім Мехмет Сүрейя Эр мырзаға ТҮРКПА пленарлық сессияларына мені жыл сайын шақырып отырғанына әрдайым ризамын.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen!
Last June, we gathered in the beautiful city of Baku to attend the 13th plenary session of TURKPA, when Azerbaijan commenced its Chairmanship and is now handing it over to Kazakhstan. It is quite symbolic that last December, the CICA Chairmanship, in turn, was transferred from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
I am glad that CICA Member States, four of which are also TURKPA members, fully realize the indispensable role of diplomacy and multilateralism. This certainly includes the interaction of our legislative branches, which adopt our laws on a wide range of issues at stake.
This includes legislation ensuring our legal capacity. In this regard, let me sincerely thank the Members of the Parliament of Kazakhstan for ratifying the amendments to the Host Country Agreement between the Kazakh Government and the Secretariat, which were recently signed into law. We consider this act as a greater range of responsibilities bestowed upon us in ensuring better coordination, confidence building and cooperation, ultimately leading to greater security and prosperity in Asia and beyond.
In today’s complex global landscape, marked by rising geopolitical tensions, climate change, economic uncertainties and regional conflicts, multilateral diplomacy has become more relevant than ever. Calls for prioritizing dialogue over division, cooperation over confrontation were heard just a couple of weeks ago here in Astana, where President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan led the discussions of bright minds on the future of international relations.
One of the principles supported by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan is that “strong parliaments are essential for democratic governance and development”. In this regard, I was grateful to attend the 15th Plenary Session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Baku in February 2025 upon the invitation of its Chair, H.E. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan. I believe that the priorities of Azerbaijan’s Presidency outlined by distinguished Sahiba hanim – expanding its membership, improving institutional efficiency, etc. – align with those of the current CICA Chairmanship.
For 13 years now, TURKPA has been a CICA Observer Organization.
TURKPA Member States are instrumental in the process of CICA’s transformation into a full-fledged international organization. They are also engaged in discussions led by the Azerbaijani Chairmanship on some of the key deliverables of the upcoming CICA Summit in Baku in October 2026.
These include the Chairmanship’s initiatives, such as establishing a Women Council, which could potentially enrich the productive work of TURKPA’s Women Parliamentarians’ Group.
Another noteworthy area is volunteerism and youth. We already had a nice example of synergy between our two structures when a bright representative of TURKPA’s Young Parliamentarians Group spoke at a meeting of the CICA Youth Council in 2022.
Just recently, Azerbaijan launched a number of forward-looking contests for talented youth of the CICA region and is set to host the second CICA Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders. I believe this is something that the young parliamentarians of TURKPA can look into closely and consider for possible collaborations.
Distinguished heads of delegations, dear participants!
These are just a few examples of avenues for enhancing our cooperation. But eventually, it all comes down to the strong will of our members of parliaments.
On our part, as the executive body of our growing pan-Asian organization, we stand ready to facilitate this process for the sake of peace and prosperity across our region.
I thank you!
