Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and his accompanying delegation held a series of official meetings in the Republic of Azerbaijan, aimed at enhancing cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture. This visit comes following his official meeting with His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, who awarded him the High Order of Friendship (Dostlug Order).

The first meeting with Mr. Emin Amrullayev, Minister of Science and Education of Azerbaijan, discussed cooperation prospects, most notably the provision of educational and humanitarian assistance to certain affected countries, particularly the Syrian Arab Republic. ICESCO Director-General presented a comprehensive report on his recent visit to Syria. Subsequently, the two parties agreed to dispatch a joint delegation from ICESCO and the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education to assess the damage, with the aim of contributing to the reconstruction of schools and allocating scholarships for Syrian students to study at Azerbaijani universities.

Furthermore, Dr. AlMalik and the accompanying delegation met with Mr. Adil Karimov, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan. The two parties explored avenues of cooperation. ICESCO Director-General proposed the establishment of a virtual platform for the Islamic world’s archaeological sites. ICESCO would set the relevant standards and host the platform on its website, allowing visitors to take virtual tours of these sites. This initiative aims to promote cultural tourism and raise global awareness of the Islamic world’s heritage.

Dr. AlMalik and the delegation also visited a modern school in the city of Shusha to learn about its distinguished experience in developing educational infrastructure. The visit included a tour of Karabakh University and the Medical College in the city of Khankendi, during which ICESCO Director-General delivered a speech to new students. He was received by Dr. Shahin Bayramov, University Rector, who outlined the University’s efforts to develop its academic programs and scientific infrastructure, stressing the importance of building bridges of cooperation with ICESCO in the fields of research and higher education.