Baku: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, on September 3. During the meeting, Pere Joan Pons Sampietro congratulated President Aliyev on the progress made towards establishing lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, President Aliyev expressed gratitude for the congratulations but expressed regret over the OSCE Minsk Group's inability to resolve the conflict over nearly 30 years. He highlighted that the UN Security Council's resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territories remained unimplemented. President Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan independently ended the conflict through military and political means, restoring its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The meeting also addressed Azerbaijan's ongoing political dialogue with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which both sides found satisfactory. It was noted that Azerbaijan's relations with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly differ from interactions with some other European parliamentary institutions. The importance of a balanced approach by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in its agenda was underscored.

Furthermore, the discussion highlighted the significance of intercultural dialogue, with commendation for Azerbaijan's contributions to this process. The 4th International Mine Action Conference in Baku, themed 'Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements,' was also emphasized. Pere Joan Pons Sampietro noted that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly had incorporated the mine problem into its agenda.