Nepal has formally established a Nepal-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group, marking a new step in strengthening inter-parliamentary relations and diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
According to the diplomatic source, Federal Parliament of Nepal has constituted the friendship group to promote parliamentary cooperation and mutual understanding between lawmakers of both nations.
The newly formed group – post parliamentary election on March 5 – is coordinated by a member of the House of Representatives from the CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Dr Arjun Kumar Karki. The group also includes lawmakers representing major political parties in Nepal's federal parliament. Apart from former ambassador Dr Karki as coordinator, the members of the Nepal-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group are House of Representatives from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Sunil KC, Er. Deepak Kumar Sah and Sarita Mahato, and House of Representatives from Nepali Congress Ninu Kumari Karn.
Parliamentary friendship groups are commonly established to facilitate dialogue between legislators, encourage exchanges of parliamentary experience, and strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people relations.
The formation of the Nepal-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group reflects the growing interest of both countries in expanding diplomatic and legislative engagement. Nepal and Azerbaijan have maintained cordial bilateral relations, and parliamentary diplomacy is expected to complement government-to-government cooperation by creating additional channels for political dialogue and mutual collaboration.
Such parliamentary mechanisms can play an important role in advancing bilateral ties, particularly at a time when countries are increasingly utilizing parliamentary diplomacy to deepen international partnerships and explore new avenues of economic and strategic cooperation, according to the diplomatic source.
Parliamentary friendship groups serve as informal platforms for legislators to engage with their counterparts abroad, exchange views on policy issues, and support broader diplomatic objectives. The newly constituted Nepal-Azerbaijan group is expected to help foster closer relations between the Federal Parliament of Nepal and the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, while encouraging greater cooperation between the two countries in the years ahead.
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