25 May 2026 20:18

On 25 May, a conference dedicated to “Africa Day,” which is marked annually at the international level, was held with the organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in cooperation with the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization and Baku State University.

The conference, held under the theme “A rising continent, new partnerships,” was attended by ambassadors of African countries accredited in Azerbaijan, chairs of the working groups of the Milli Majlis on interparliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and African countries, representatives of state institutions, heads of higher education institutions, experts, as well as African students studying in our country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yalchin Rafiyev spoke about the growing geopolitical and economic importance of the African continent and emphasized that high-level contacts at the political level between Azerbaijan and African countries have particularly increased in recent years, and that there is great potential promising significant growth in the economic direction.

Also touching upon areas of cooperation in the humanitarian field, Y. Rafiyev highlighted the projects implemented through the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA), as well as the educational opportunities offered to African youth within the framework of the international scholarship programme named after Great Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Afterwards, Deputy Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kenan Karimzada, Rector of Baku State University Elchin Babayev, and Adil Embarch, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Azerbaijan and Dean of the diplomatic corps, delivered speeches. In addition, a video address by Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, was shown at the opening ceremony.

Within the framework of the conference, two panel discussions were held on the topics “Azerbaijan-Africa relations: current situation and strategic opportunities” and “Agenda 2063 and Africa’s role in the developing system of international relations.”

The aforementioned discussions were attended by the ambassadors of Somalia, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan and Eswatini, the Ambassadors of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Ethiopia and Kenya, officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uganda and Tanzania, as well as chairs of the Milli Majlis interparliamentary working groups with Algeria and Kenya.

In addition, during the event, a presentation on the topic “ASAN service model in Africa” was held.

A cultural programme performed by African students and a special video on the history of the African continent were presented at the conference.

At the exhibition organized within the framework of the conference programme, photographs reflecting the meetings of His Excellency Mr. President Ilham Aliyev with African leaders, as well as other high-level contacts, were displayed.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the conference, Fatumata Jau, Deputy Minister of International Cooperation and Communities of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, emphasized the strategic nature of relations between Azerbaijan and African countries.