OIC Secretary-General meets foreign students studying in Azerbaijan on scholarships
On 28 October, OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met in Baku with OIC member-state students studying on Azerbaijani government scholarships. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum's regional centre also reported on its activities.
Gurban Gurbanzadeh2 min read
On 28 October, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met in Baku with students from OIC member states who are studying in Baku on scholarships provided by the Azerbaijani government. The meeting was preceded by an introduction to the Youth Forum of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM Youth Forum), where the Secretary-General was briefed on the Mission Headquarters of the NAM Youth Forum, after which a presentation was made on the scholarship programmes for students from OIC member states.
During the meeting, information was provided to the Secretary-General on scholarship programmes, presented by the "OIC Student Association – Azerbaijan" organisation, which the Azerbaijani government offers to students from OIC member states. It was noted that from 2017 to 2022, 126 students from 41 OIC member states were given the opportunity to study at Azerbaijani higher education institutions, and from 2024 to 2026, 219 students from 39 OIC member states. In total, it was stressed that nearly 350 young people from 46 OIC member states have benefited from the scholarships offered by Azerbaijan.
Alongside this, the activities of the OIC Youth Forum's Regional Centre for Eurasia (ICYF-ERC), based in Baku, and the activities carried out with students from OIC member states were presented.
Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed spoke about the OIC's future goals and prospects, as well as the objectives he has set as the organisation's new leader and the role of young people in this process. He expressed deep gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for the special attention and care shown to OIC youth, as well as for the provision of scholarships for education.
The meeting continued with an interactive question-and-answer session on "The role of youth as cultural diplomacy ambassadors in strengthening solidarity in the Islamic world", aimed at strengthening ties between young people and developing their international partnerships. The session discussed the role of youth in developing intercultural dialogue and in implementing mutual understanding among peoples.
The event concluded with a speech by Elçin Asgarov, Chairman of the Board of ICYF-ERC, and the taking of a commemorative photograph.
