Sahiba Gafarova urges TURKPA to strengthen youth policy

Speaker of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has called on TURKPA's young parliamentarians to strengthen youth policy in response to the threats facing their countries.

According to Report, Gafarova made the remarks while addressing the 15th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The speaker said TURKPA provides opportunities to further expand cooperation among the parliaments of its member states in new areas.

Gafarova noted that one of TURKPA's key features is that it brings together representatives of peoples who share a common culture, history, language, and national and moral values under one umbrella. She said this further increases the responsibility of parliamentarians.

The Milli Majlis speaker said artificial intelligence and technological progress have become key elements of modern governance and the sustainable development of countries, adding that Azerbaijan has identified this area as a priority.

She noted that in February this year, a meeting chaired by President Ilham Aliyev was held on Azerbaijan's new digital development strategy and a Digital Development Action Plan was approved.

Gafarova also highlighted that the Digital Development Council was established by presidential decree and that the Council, headed by First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, is shaping a unified approach and coordinating national policy in the areas of digitalization, e-government, artificial intelligence and innovation.

Referring to the Milli Majlis' active work to strengthen the relevant legal framework, Gafarova said new legislative acts are being adopted to support the country's digital transformation.

She said concepts such as digital technologies, innovative products and technology transfer are being incorporated into national legislation, while the legal status of artificial intelligence is being defined.

Alongside legislative reforms, Gafarova said the Azerbaijani parliament is also making effective use of the opportunities created by technological progress in its own activities.

She highlighted measures aimed at improving the work of the legislature through the broader use of modern technological capabilities and digital technologies.

Gafarova stressed that while artificial intelligence and technological progress create new opportunities, they also generate new challenges and risks in the areas of cybersecurity and information security.

She said these developments make closer cooperation in these fields increasingly necessary.