Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The Partnership and Liaison Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations opened in Baku on February 25

Addressing the opening ceremony, Agriculture Minister Heydar Asadov hailed the cooperation between the country and FAO, a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts in defeating hunger.

Asadov said FAO had implemented a number of projects in Azerbaijan, contributing to the modernization and development of agriculture.

Azerbaijan, which joined FAO in 1995, is currently benefiting from FAO’s technical assistance in many areas, such as organic agriculture, agriculture marketing, locust management, food security, seed sector development, improved livelihoods for rural populations, animal health, and cattle breeding.

Head of Partnership and Liaison Office Mustafa Imir, for his part, expressed confidence that the office would contribute to the development of agriculture in Azerbaijan, which he described as FAO`s partner and a new donor country.

The ceremony also saw the signing of an agreement on FAO`s Seed Production Support Project in Azerbaijan.

FAO’s partnership with Azerbaijan is shaped by the 2015-2019 Country Programming Framework (CPF), reflecting relevant national development plans and strategies at the same time as supporting FAO’s strategic objectives and regional priorities.

Last year, the sides have enlarged the legal base of their fruitful cooperation by signing two agreements.

The first agreement stipulated the establishment of the coordination and cooperation office and providing technical assistance, while the second one is a FAO-Azerbaijan partnership program. The first agreement maintains the status of the already existing office, as well as envisages providing mutual technical assistance. Each year some $100,000 will be allocated to the office maintenance.

The technical project is designed for 5 years and costs $10 million, which will be provided on an equal basis, with a condition that this amount will be directed mainly to projects implemented in Azerbaijan within five years, taking into account possible exceptions in acute need.

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