Bilateral meeting with H.E. Majnun Mammadov, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Rome - FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu and H.E. Majnun Mammadov, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met on the sidelines of the 44th Session of the FAO Ministerial Conference to discuss current collaboration and means to further strengthen relations between FAO and Azerbaijan.

The Director-General and the Minister both recalled their last meeting at the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, during which FAO had actively supported the Presidency’s Action Agenda and assisted in the development of the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers, further advancing sustainable agricultural practices aligned with global climate goals.

The Minister noted that agriculture plays a pivotal role in Azerbaijan’s broader economic diversification efforts, highlighting that by transforming agrifood systems, Azerbaijan was planning to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, positioning agriculture as a central driver of sustainable economic growth. The Minister further commended the FAO Office in Azerbaijan for the excellent support to the Government in advancing these transformative efforts. He informed the Director-General that the second phase of the FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP) was being finalized and was expected to focus on critical areas such as climate resilience, agrifood system transformation, and sustainable agricultural practices.

The Minister and the Director-General also discussed the ongoing reform of the FAO Country Office network, which aimed at strengthening the Organization's presence and impact at the country level, making it more responsive to Member needs.