By Ragan M Conteh

A special envoy from the Republic of Azerbaijan led by Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov,  has paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu.

The visit happened on Friday 23, February 2024 in the speaker’s Chambers in parliament in Freetown.

Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President on Special Assignments, conveyed best greetings from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Government and People of Sierra Leone.

He spoke on the need to ensuring a deepening and strengthening bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Sierra Leone.

He talked of the revitalization of the non-aligned movement and the creation of an inter-parliamentary network among member states to promoting and protecting common interests in international diplomacy and cooperation between nations.

He congratulated Sierra Leoneans and praised the country for being elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.

The ambassador said Azerbaijan will be hosting COP 29 and that the need for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is top at the agenda.

Extending his warmest welcome to the delegation, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, said  it was a good idea to revitalizing  the non-aligned movement between the countries, emphasizing the view to reawakening the organization as an important platform for promoting and protecting the interests of smaller nations in the management of international relations.

Speaking on the assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which is scheduled to take place next month in Geneva, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu said that he would be pleased to meet with the Speaker of Azerbaijan’s parliament at the margins of the assembly with a view to discussing possible ways of establishing parliamentary friendship and networking between the two parliaments of Sierra Leone and Azerbaijan.

Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu also reiterated Sierra Leone’s undiluted commitments to respecting the UN Charter and also called for its review , citing experiences and the changing times occurring since 1945 to date.

He said such past-bitter experiences are important to make mention of as a way to reflect minds on the current realities of the world.

He also underscored that Sierra Leone and Azerbaijan are secular states with remarkable commonalities regarding religious tolerance, inter-marriages and a maintenance of a peaceful co-existence among their citizens.