The Armenian and Azerbaijani parliament speakers, during their bilateral meeting in Istanbul on Friday, lauded recent developments in the normalization process, according to a readout by the Armenian Parliament’s press service.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Sahiba Gafarova, in Istanbul during the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly.

“During the meeting, the recent processes within the framework of normalization of relations between the two countries were noted with satisfaction, including steps aimed at strengthening peace and stability, as well as the establishment and expansion of trade ties,” according to the readout.

“The importance of the Inter-Parliamentary Union as a key platform for inter-parliamentary cooperation was emphasized. In this context, the sides highly valued and expressed gratitude to IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong for his personal efforts in facilitating dialogue between the Speakers of the Armenian and Azerbaijani parliaments. The Speakers of the parliaments positively assessed contacts between parliamentary delegations within international organizations, which began after their meeting in Geneva in October 2025, and agreed to continue these engagements. The Speakers of the Armenian and Azerbaijani parliaments underscored the importance of continuing constructive parliamentary dialogue to further strengthen trust between the two societies,” it added.