A delegation headed by Mr. Ismayıl Xelilov and Mr. Kamran Suleymanov, Members of the Judicial-Legal Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, visited our country between 21-25 December 2024 upon the invitation of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors.
On 23 December 2024, the delegation, which visited the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, was received by Mr. Mehmet Akif Ekinci (Acting President of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and President of the 2nd Chamber), Mr. Halil Koç (President of the 1st Chamber), Mr. Atila Öztürk (Secretary General), Mr. Osman Nuri Yiğit (President of the Inspection Board) and Mr. Sinan Ekici and Dr. Müjgan Karyağdı (Deputy Secretaries General). During the visit, the delegation was provided with comprehensive presentations on the structure and functioning of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, its operational procedures, the procedure for the examination of complaints against judges and prosecutors, as well as the structure, functioning and audit and examination procedures of the Inspection Board. Following the presentations, a mutual exchange of ideas was held and experiences on judicial systems were shared. During the meetings, evaluations were conducted on the Network of Councils of Judges of the Organization of Turkic States, the draft statute of which was prepared under the initiative of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and which is planned to be inaugurated at the meeting to be held in Baku in 2025. The evaluations highlighted the Network of Councils of Judges as a potential catalyst for enhancing judicial cooperation among member countries and contributing to the reinforcement of shared legal principles. The part of the programme at the Council of Judges and Prosecutors ended after the presentation of gifts.
In the afternoon of the same day, the delegation visited the Presidency of the Court of Cassation, where they were welcomed by Mr. Ahmet Ömeroğlu, First Deputy President of the Court of Cassation, and Ms. Serap Kaygusuz, Deputy Secretary General of the Court of Cassation. During this part of the visit, the delegation exchanged information on the functioning of judicial systems at the supreme court level.
Following their visit to the Presidency of the Court of Cassation, the delegation that proceeded to the Justice Academy of Türkiye was received by Mr. Muhittin Özdemir, President of the Academy. Ms. Özden Dülger, the Rapporteur Judge, provided the delegation with a comprehensive presentation on the training processes, academic studies and applied training programmes for assistant judges and prosecutors, as well as for judges and prosecutors in Türkiye. As part of the programme, the campus of the academy was taken on a tour and information about the educational infrastructure was shared.
On 24 December 2024, the delegation visited the Directorate General of IT at the Ministry of Justice, where they were welcomed by Mr. Servet Gül, Director General of IT. During this visit, the delegation was given a presentation by Mr. Ramazan Kılınç, Head of Department of the General Directorate of IT, on the UYAP system, digitalization and technological infrastructures in judicial processes.
On the same day, the delegation visited the Ankara Courthouse where was greeted by Mr. Gökhan Karaköse, Chief Public Prosecutor of Ankara and Mr. Murat İlhan, President of the Justice Commission of the Court of First Instance of the Jurisdiction. The delegation was given a presentation by Mr. Melih Aladağ, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of Ankara, on the Turkish judicial system, the functioning of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and courts, archive services and the new Ankara Palace of Justice under construction. Following the presentation, the delegation was given a brief tour of the courthouse, during which they were shown the rooms of the judges and public prosecutors, the hearing rooms and the court clerk's office, while on-site information was provided regarding the functioning of the system.
After the Ankara Courthouse, the delegation's programme in our country ended with a visit to the Anıtkabir Atatürk and War of Independence Museum.
During the visit which constituted an important step for the development of legal and judicial co-operation between the two countries, the similarities and differences between the judicial systems of the two countries were discussed. The visit was considered an important opportunity to reinforce the judicial co-operation of the two countries and to carry friendly relations further and the delegation was sent off with expressions of gratitude and satisfaction.
