What threats did the president speak about at the first session of the Milli Majlis?

On September 23, the first session of the Milli Majlis of the 7th convocation took place. Sahiba Gafarova, nominated for the position by the "Yeni Azerbaijan" party, was elected as the Speaker of the Milli Majlis. Later, deputy Ali Ahmedov was elected as the First Deputy Chairman of the Milli Majlis, while Ziyafet Askerov, Musa Gassimly, and Rafael Huseynov were elected as deputy chairmen. Until now, the Milli Majlis had three deputy chairmen (the First Deputy and two deputies). Ali Ahmedov had served as Deputy Prime Minister since 2013, and Ziyafet Askerov was the First Vice Speaker from 2000 to 2020.

Speaking at the first session of the Milli Majlis, President Ilham Aliyev stated that foreign circles, unable to accept Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Karabakh War, are preparing new plans. The president announced that military power would be further strengthened. He also addressed the issue of the closure of land borders, linking it to national security.

These statements by the head of state were commented on in the program "Complex Question" by the Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party, Seymour Hazi. In his opinion, the Milli Majlis (MM) lost its functionality many years ago and continues to lose what little remains. It is no longer a place for expressing political will or thought. The parliament in the Republic of Azerbaijan is exclusively engaged in amending laws and increasing fines in the Code of Administrative Offenses based on the proposals of the central apparatus of the highest executive authority.

Hazi points out that, according to Article 95 of the Constitution, the Milli Majlis is responsible for "only deciding the issue of confidence in the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but even here, the president forms the composition of this body." The Milli Majlis leads an idle life and plays no role in the political life of the country. The new parliament, filled with even more individuals close to the highest executive power, will carry out its instructions with even greater zeal. Among the new deputies, there are even more bureaucrats than in previous convocations.

The expert refused to recognize the deputies who are not part of the "Yeni Azerbaijan" party as opposition or independent.

"If this list of deputies was formed in some center, it means it was based on its criteria," the expert emphasized.

According to Hazi, when the president mentioned that foreign circles were preparing new plans, he was referring to the West, particularly the U.S. Congress, where a group of congressmen attempted to pass a resolution questioning the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. However, Hazi does not view this as the position of the U.S. government and does not believe that such a document will be adopted.

In his opinion, these are the antics of individuals associated with Russia, representatives of the American establishment, and the Armenian lobby. Such initiatives provide the Azerbaijani authorities with an excuse to accuse Western countries of anti-Azerbaijani intentions.

Regarding the issue of closing land borders, the opposition figure questioned whether it is indeed related to security.

"The border is not just made up of checkpoints. Illegal border crossings have always existed and will continue to do so," the expert stated.