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Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), expressed his admiration for the rare artifacts he saw in the National Carpet Museum in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. He considered that the Museum, which carries the country’s cultural identity to future generations, exhibits rare carpets, some of which are centuries old, that tell the history of Azerbaijan.

The DG affirmed that he was keen to see the Museum’s collections during his visit to Azerbaijan from January 11 to 15, as it is one of the most prominent museums that include the largest collection of rare carpets in the world, explaining that the Museum’s collections show the stages of social development and history of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each artifact bears the name of one of the country’s seven carpet-making schools (Qoba, Baku, Shirwan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabag and Tabriz).

After touring the Museum and listening to its Director’s presentation on the history of the Museum, Dr. AlMalik praised the Musuem’s use of the modern technology to provide access to its rare collections for all categories, including those with special needs. The musuem allows touching duplicates of artifacts and presents on a screen adjacent to each piece how and when it was made as well as providing the possibility to listen to the story of each item.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out that the establishment of the Museum and the way each rare carpet artifact was obtained confirm Azerbaijan’s keenness to preserve its heritage and identity, and the pride the country takes in all the components of this heritage, explaining that ICESCO provides all support to its Member States in the field.

AlMalik: ICESCO prioritizes support to Member States

Karimov: We appreciate the visit of ICESCO Director-General to Azerbaijan… We will continue supporting ICESCO

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, stressed that cooperation between ICESCO and the country has set new prospects of partnership and mutual support.

The two parties made the statement during a press conference, held in Baku, yesterday, January 14, 2021, as part of the official visit of Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation to Azerbaijan. The press conference brought together a host of ambassadors of ICESCO Member States accredited to Azerbaijan as well as several journalists and correspondents of news agencies and TV channels in Baku.

At the onset of the conference, Mr. Karimov expressed his thanks and gratitude to ICESCO DG for his visit to Azerbaijan and the tours of the historical and cultural sites in the regions of Fizuli and Agdam.

“We have outstanding relations with ICESCO, which was among the first international organizations that Azerbaijan joined in 1991. This visit will usher in a new era of partnership between Azerbaijan and ICESCO,” he stressed.

Mr. Karimov commended the meetings of ICESCO DG with the senior officials of Azerbaijan, mainly President Ilham Aliyev. “These meetings reflect ICESCO’s new vision, which adopts an open-door policy to all countries. This vision also stresses ICESCO’s support for Azerbaijan in safeguarding its cultural heritage. Azerbaijan will continue its support to ICESCO to enable it to fully accomplish its mission,” he underscored.

Dr. AlMalik stated that ICESCO prioritizes support to its Member States in the fields of education, science, and culture while stressing that ICESCO will cooperate with Azerbaijan in rebuilding or restoring the damaged historical sites.

ICESCO DG announced that the Organization will dispatch a technical team to inspect these historical sites and assess their current situation. “The team will include experts from Member States and other countries. At the end of its mission, it will draft an independent report, which will be circulated to the international organizations,” he added.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted that ICESCO will take all the necessary steps to exceptionally proclaim Shusha as the capital of culture in the Islamic world for 2022 or 2023. He noted that ICESCO Program for the Capitals of Culture in the Islamic World celebrates three capitals every year in the Arab, African, and Asian regions respectively.

Answering journalists’ questions, ICESCO DG and the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan stated that the cooperation between the two parties will cover many fields and programs, most notably the civilizational dialogue and the organization of conferences and forums; the first joint event will celebrate the poet and philosopher, Nezami Ganjavi.

The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade, hailed the role that the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) plays in presenting an accurate image to the world about the Islamic civilization. The Chairman reaffirmed that all Azerbaijanis appreciated the visit of ICESCO Director-General (DG), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and his accompanying delegation.

The statement was made during the luncheon the Chairman held at his residence in Baku, today, January 14, to welcome the ICESCO delegation, in the presence of several religious leaderships, parliament members, government officials, and public figures in Azerbaijan.

In his welcoming speech, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade stated that he invited to the luncheon all spectrums of the Azeri society and leaderships of all religions to express Azerbaijan’s appreciation of the visit.

The DG expressed his thanks for the initiative, commending the special participations of Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshükür Pashazade in several ICESCO conferences and forums, chief among which was the International Forum of the Role of Religious Leaderships in Times of Crises.

 The DG also stressed that ICESCO endeavors to anchor the values of dialogue and coexistence and that it counts on enlightened religious leaderships to achieve such noble goal. He added that Azerbaijan presents a unique model for coexistence and peace, manifested in the invitees who represented all religions.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, and Mr. Ulvi Mehdiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan (ASAN Xidmet), explored cooperation between ICESCO and the Agency in technological areas and the sharing of Azerbaijan’s in e-services expertise with ICESCO Member States.

Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation of the heads of sectors conducted on Thursday, January 14, a tour to the main center of the Agency in Baku. During the tour, Mr. Mehdiyev reviewed the history and objectives of the Agency, pointing out that it provides 300 electronic government services to citizens and residents in just one office and that the main center receives more than 3000 citizens daily.

Following the tour, the two parties discussed several proposals of partnership, especially in bolstering the capacities of youth, promoting innovation, and sharing successful experiences in the advancement of digital education and culture.

The two parties also agreed to transfer the expertise of the Agency to ICESCO Member States. ICESCO DG stated that the Organization’s new vision adopts the sharing of expertise, especially in technological development of the Organization’s areas of action, between Member States and non-Member States.

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.

Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and his accompanying delegation of Heads of ICESCO Sectors. The reception took place today, Wednesday, January 13, at the Presidential Palace in Baku, in the presence of Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture, President of the Azerbaijani National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

At the outset, President Aliyev welcomed the DG, expressing his appreciation for the visit and the tours Dr. AlMalik and his delegation made yesterday to the historic and cultural sites in the Districts of Fuzuli and Aghdam bordering the Nagorno-Karabakh Province to take ocular verification of the extent of damage that affected the region.

The Azerbaijani President also reaffirmed his country’s appreciation of ICESCO’s sustained support and its clear stance on the importance of considering cultural and historical rights. He also commended the importance the Organization accords to safeguarding and inscribing heritage, stressing that Azerbaijan will always support ICESCO in the implementation of its vision and action strategy.

President Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s intent on rebuilding all historic sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, hailing ICESCO’s announcement to provide assistance and technical support to the major project. The President also suggested opening a regional office for ICESCO in Baku soon.

The DG expressed his thanks to the President for inviting him and ICESCO’s delegation to make the official visit. He highlighted ICESCO’s support for all its Member States to safeguard their cultural and civilizational heritage and reviewed ICESCO’s efforts in the field.

The DG also welcomed the proposal to open a regional office for ICESCO in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, and suggested relocating the office to the city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh once it is rebuilt. President Aliyev welcomed and commended the proposal, he also noted that he proclaimed Shusha as Azerbaijan’s Capital of National Culture.

Dr. AlMalik also stressed building institutional relations between ICESCO and Azerbaijan. The Organization will specifically send a technical team including international experts to examine the heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and assess the extent of the damage. The technical team will also work closely with the Azerbaijani side to lay down a plan for restoring or rebuilding the sites.

The meeting also addressed the special cooperation and partnership ties between ICESCO and Azerbaijan in civilizational dialogue and other fields. Mr. Aliyev then mentioned Baku Forum, which became a key platform for dialogue between Europe and the Islamic world. The DG stated that ICESCO is in the process of creating ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue, which will provide ample opportunity for cooperation with the Baku Forum.

The Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, on the first day of his visit to Azerbaijan, met with Mr. Emin Amrullayev, Azerbaijani Minister of Education, to explore ways of fostering cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan in education.

In a meeting held today at the Ministry of Education in Baku, the two parties touched on the challenges that faced education last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the imperative need for solutions to countering such crises. The goal is to ensure the continuity of education and reduce educational loss that the longtime closure of education institutions has caused.

The two parties examined cooperation proposals in education, namely those relevant to scholarships for students in ICESCO Member States and exchange between Azerbaijani universities and the Member Universities of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW). The officials also explored cooperation in the teaching of Arabic to non-Arabic speakers between ICESCO Center of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers and the Arabic-teaching Azerbaijani schools and the development and implementation of the programs of the training, qualification, and capacity-building for teachers.

The meeting discussed cooperation in scientific research between research centers in Azerbaijan and their counterparts in ICESCO Member States. The measure includes conducting research that meets the true needs of Member States and yields practical and economically viable outcomes to achieve development. The parties also considered establishing ICESCO chair in an Azerbaijani university, under ICESCO Chair Program.

The participants in the meeting from the Azerbaijani side included Mr. Oktay Sudef Ogly Gurbanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Morocco; Mr. VasifEyvazzade, Secretary-General of the Azerbaijan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture, and several officials from the Ministry of Higher Education.

In attendance from ICESCO were Amb. Kahlid Fathalrahman, Supervisor of the Sector of Partnerships and International Cooperation, Head of the Department of Dialogue and Cultural Diversity; Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of the Sector of Culture and Communication; Dr. Raheel Qamar, Head of the Sector of Science and Technology; and Mr. Samy El Kamhawy, Supervisor of the Department of Information and Institutional Communication.

At the start of his official visit to Azerbaijan on Monday, January 11, 2021, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), met Mr. Anar Karimov, Azerbaijan Minister of Culture. The meeting explored the promotion of the outstanding relations between ICESCO and Azerbaijan.

At the onset of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik and his delegation congratulated Mr. Karimov on his appointment as Minister of Culture and President of Azerbaijan National Commission for Education, Science, and Culture while wishing him every success.

Mr. Karimov welcomed Dr. AlMalik and his delegation stating that the political leadership in Azerbaijan highly appreciates the historic and timely visit. He also praised ICESCO as the first international Organization to conduct such visit, which includes many tours of historic sites in Azerbaijan.

Dr. AlMalik reviewed the salient developments in ICESCO in terms of the organizational structure, the working mechanisms, and the strategic vision, which promotes further communication with Member States. The goal is to develop programs and projects based on Member States’ needs and priorities and hold partnerships with non-Member States for the benefit of all Muslim communities worldwide.

The meeting also touched upon the areas of cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan in the field of culture, particularly preserving and inscribing historical sites and cultural elements on the Islamic world Heritage List, as well as promoting the civilizational dialogue and accurately presenting Islamic culture to the world.

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to sustain joint action to strengthen the partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan through practical programs likely to make major achievements.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) begins on Monday, 11 January 2021, an official visit to Azerbaijan, during which he will meet with several senior officials in the country, to discuss ways to promote cooperation and partnership between ICESCO and Azerbaijan in the fields of education, science, and culture.

The agenda for the visit of Dr. AlMalik and his accompanying delegation of ICESCO’s sector managers includes a field tour of multiple historical and cultural sites.

Dr. AlMalik affirmed that the visit is part of the distinct relations between ICESCO and Azerbaijan, and the two sides’ keenness to develop them in light of ICESCO’s new vision. The visit also comes amid the special attention ICESCO attaches to the valorization, preservation, and inscription of cultural and historical treasures in the Member States on the Islamic World Heritage List. It is within the framework of the Organization’s commitment to revive the Islamic heritage in its various aspects to link generations and build shared historic accounts to allow for future anticipation.

The DG indicated that cooperation between ICESCO and Azerbaijan is distinguished, covering all of the Organization’s fields of action and its future plans, focusing on civilizational dialogue and the presentation of the correct image of Islamic culture to the world.