Working Visit of Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, to Ankara, 27 February 2023
On 27 February 2023, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, paid a working visit to Ankara and had meetings at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (GNAT) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republıc of Türkiye.
During the meeting with Mr. Mustafa Sentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, the PABSEC Secretary General expressed his condolences for the numerous victims of the devastating earthquake. The Secretary General informed Mr. Mustafa Sentop about the ongoing preparatory work of the PABSEC and its International Secretariat, for the 61st PABSEC General Assembly, under the PABSEC Turkish Presidency, in May this year.
Mr. Mustafa Sentop thanked the Secretary General for his condolences and support and highly appreciated the work of the PABSEC International Secretariat. He stressed the importance of the PABSEC activities and assured that the Turkish Parliament and the PABSEC Turkish delegation continue to bring a constructive contribution to the activities of the Assembly. Mr. Mustafa Sentop, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, also discussed with the Secretary General, about the organizational and preparatory issues of the 61st PABSEC General Assembly and the Summit of Speakers of the PABSEC Parliaments.
At a working meeting with Mr. Cemal Ozturk, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, the issues of preparation for the spring meetings of the PABSEC Committees, as well as the 61st PABSEC General Assembly, which will be held in Türkiye in May 2023, were discussed. It was noted that the PABSEC regularly informs the Bureau members about the current work and the decisions.
During the meeting with Mr. Nadir Alpaslan, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the PABSEC Secretary General expressed his condolences for the destruction and victims caused by the earthquake in Türkiye and informed about the assistance of the PABSEC International Secretariat to the earthquake victims. He informed about the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly in the field of tourism development, in the Black Sea Region and spoke about the current preparatory work of the PABSEC and its International Secretariat, for the 61st PABSEC General Assembly, which will be held in Türkiye in May under the PABSEC Turkish Presidency. The importance of organizing joint events on culture, tourism and education was also noted.
Mr. Nadir Alpaslan thanked the PABSEC Secretary General for the visit and for the warm words of sympathy and assistance rendered to the earthquake victims. He expressed full support for the activities of the PABSEC, appreciating the idea of organizing joint events in the field of culture, tourism and education. He also underlined the Türkiye’s contribution to strengthening the cooperation, within the framework of the PABSEC, in the Wider Black Sea Region.