OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on South Caucasus Joao Soares met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on the first day of his week-long visit to the Caucasus.
Soares and Aliyev, joined by Antonio Fernando Couto dos Santos of Portugal, discussed regional and economic developments, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh as well as bilateral relations between Portugal and Azerbaijan.
After three days in Azerbaijan, Soares will go to Georgia and Armenia to continue regional discussions about developments in the region regarding, particularly focusing on democratic reforms and unresolved conflicts.
A former president of the OSCE PA, Soares was appointed Special Representative on South Caucasus in July 2011. He also serves as deputy head of Portugal’s delegation to the OSCE PA and as a member of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transparency and Reform of the OSCE.
