By Azernews

By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

The Azerbaijan State Agrarian University (ADAU) and Oklahoma State University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of agriculture.

The document was signed on the sidelines of the Oklahoma-Azerbaijan Agriculture Forum on November 6, in Oklahoma City, by the Rector of the Agrarian University, Ibrahim Jafarov and Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at University of Oklahoma, and Gary Sandefur, the Senior Vice President of the university, the Ministry of Agriculture has reported.

As part of the official agreement, the sides will discuss opportunities on conducting joint activities to develop academic programs and student exchange programs in the future.

The signing ceremony was attended by faculty and students of the University, as well as Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov and other guests. Opening the event, Co-Chairman Board of Directors US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce Reza Vaziri noted that the signed document will enable to enhance academic relations between two countries. 

Rector Ibrahim Jafarov stressed that Azerbaijan State Agrarian University has established working relations with more than one hundred universities in more than 25 countries, in recent years. Today, the Agrarian University does not see borders. The university also has relations with many universities in the U.S, he said.

It should be noted that the Oklahoma-Azerbaijan Agriculture Forum brought together private sector experts, agricultural producers, and agricultural sector officials from Oklahoma and Azerbaijan to share best practices and explore opportunities for partnership and investment in both sectors. Up to 20 agricultural companies from Azerbaijan are led by the Ministry of Agriculture to attend the Forum.

The Forum has focused on animal husbandry and including management, regulation and promotion of a wide range of cereals and products. The Oklahoma-Azerbaijan Agriculture Forum is jointly organized by the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC), the USAID/Mission to Azerbaijan, and the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce.

The State of Oklahoma and the Republic of Azerbaijan have been cooperating since 2003 under the US State Partnership Program.

Successful cooperation between the Oklahoma National Guard and the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has provided a solid foundation for the development of agricultural relations.