Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, chairwoman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan. She visited the ICESCO headquarters in Rabat on Friday 15 December 2023, as part of her official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, leading a high-level Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation.

At the outset of the meeting, attended by Ambassador Nazim Samadov, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Morocco, ICESCO Director-General welcomed the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament and her accompanying delegation, extending congratulations to Azerbaijan’s leadership, government, and people for being selected to host the upcoming session of the Conference of Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Ms. Sahiba Gafarova expressed her delight at visiting the ICESCO headquarters and her appreciation for the roles that the Organization plays, which is highly regarded by Azerbaijan. She highlighted President Ilham Aliyev’s keenness to enhance the distinguished partnership between the Organization and Azerbaijani stakeholders in the fields of education, science, and culture.

For his part, Dr. AlMalik expressed ICESCO’s appreciation for Azerbaijan’s support for the Organization’s initiatives and programs, extending beyond Azerbaijan to supporting projects and activities in several Islamic world countries. The Director-General then proceeded to review these initiatives, particularly ICESCO’s Program to Support Youth Technology and Innovation Projects. The meeting touched upon proposals for collaboration between ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Parliament.

Moreover, Ms. Sahiba Gafarova invited ICESCO to join, as an observer, the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, launched in 2021; and extended an invitation to the Director-General to attend the Network’s fourth conference scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2024. Both parties underscored the significance of the soon-to-be-opened ICESCO regional office in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in fostering the partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan and cementing the Organization’s presence in the Central Asian region.

Following the meeting, Dr. AlMalik accompanied the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament and her delegation on a tour of the International Exhibition and Museum of Seerah and Islamic Civilization, currently hosted at the ICESCO headquarters in partnership with the Muslim World League and the Mohammadia League of Scholars.