19 November 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan – A High-Level Delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), led by its President, Hon. Enaam Mayara (Morocco), together with Hon. Pedro Roque (Portugal), Vice President and President of the 3rd Standing Committee, held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, on the margins of COP29.
The meeting emphasized the importance of strengthening ties between PAM and the Parliament of Azerbaijan, with a focus on collaborative efforts to address a range of critical global challenges, including peace and security, international cooperation, and climate change. The two Presidents agreed on the pressing need for joint action and coordinated responses at both regional and international levels.
A central theme of the meeting was the global nature of climate change and its profound impacts on the Euro-Mediterranean, Gulf, and Caspian regions, which are facing similar environmental challenges. In particular, these regions are experiencing significant disruptions to their water resources, worsened by water scarcity, and extreme weather phenomena. The Euro-Mediterranean region is seeing increasingly severe droughts, which have reduced freshwater availability and placed additional strain on agricultural and water systems. Similarly, the Caspian Sea is undergoing alarming shrinkage, a phenomenon closely linked to climate change, which has led to rising salinity levels. Both regions are witnessing detrimental effects on local ecosystems and the livelihoods of communities dependent on these water sources.
President Mayara extended an invitation to H.E. Ms. Gafarova to attend the upcoming 19th PAM Plenary Session in Rome, next February, which would further deepen bilateral relations and facilitate joint activities.
Hon. Roque also recalled the PAM’s existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), signed under his presidency in 2021.
Looking ahead, President Gafarova invited PAM to attend the upcoming session of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), which will be held in April 2025, in Uzbekistan. During this session, she proposed the formalization of PAM’s engagement with the Non-Aligned Movement, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a strategic step that would significantly enhance PAM’s international outreach, while reinforcing its commitment to advancing global peace, security, and sustainable development. //