The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik explored with Mr. Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, cooperation possibilities between ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Ministry in the fields of technology use in education and culture and in building the capacities of young innovators in the Islamic world.

The discussions were part of the meeting held on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies in the capital Baku. The delegation of ICESCO’s heads of sectors, accompanying Dr. AlMalik in his current official visit to Azerbaijan, attended the meeting. Mr. Vasif Eyvazzade, Secretary-General of the Azerbaijan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture and several Ministry officials also took part in the meeting.

After exchanging expressions of gratitude, the two parties expressed their willingness to build practical cooperation and partnership between them. They then explored the suggested fields of cooperation including the use of modern technology in education as a way to address the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that caused the lockdown of educational institutions for long periods and triggered a rush to adopt distance learning. They also discussed the possibility of sharing Azerbaijan’s expertise in the program of building smart cities with ICESCO Member States.

Both parties designated a joint committee to prepare for a conference on cyber security that ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Ministry will co-organize. The topic is a key element in the digitization that all sectors have undertaken. The joint committee will also follow up on the design and implementation of cooperation programs in the fields of education, sciences, and culture.