A delegation of the Oxford University visited the Baku Branch of the Moscow State University named after Lomonosov where they met with President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Akif Alizade, chief of the humanitarian policy department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Fatma Abdullahzade, Minister of Education Mikail Jabbarov, academicians and famous scientists, teachers and students of the educational institution.

The delegation included the head of the center of Iranian studies of the Oxford University Martin Edmund Herzig, Professor at the Institute of Oriental Studies at Oxford University and a leading researcher at the Center for the Study of Antiquity at the New York University Robert Gerard Hoyland, and teacher of Arabic philology and Arabian studies of the Institute of Oriental studies of the Oxford University Julian Faultless.

Organizer of the meeting, rector of the Baku Branch of the MSU, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Nargiz Pashayeva said in her remarks that a memorandum of intent was signed with the Oxford University on October 28 last year to establish the University of Oxford Scientific Center of Azerbaijan and Caucasus Studies named after Nizami Ganjavi.

The center is set to conduct research, academic exchange, roundtable discussions and conferences, and implement a variety of educational and cultural projects. The center is scheduled to award small grants to students, researchers, journalists, scientists and other social groups to do research on Azerbaijan at the Oxford Univesity.

According to Nargiz Pashayeva, the agreement on establishment of the center became a historical event from scientific, cultural, social points of view and in the context of interethnic relations.

She drew the attention of the meeting participants to the fact that it is going to be the first center to study the history and culture of Azerbaijan and the Caucasian region at the Oxford University and that the center was named after great poet Nizami Ganjavi.

Rector of the Baku branch underlined the need to ensure the high-quality translation of Azerbaijani scientists` works into foreign languages.

Professor Herzig spoke of the history of the creation of the big oriental studies library at the Oxford University.

Professor Hoyland touched upon major areas of the center`s activity.