The leadership and staff members of the Academy of the State Customs Committee (ASCCA) recently visited Turkiye to strengthen cooperation with several universities. The delegation, which included Academy Head, Customs Service General Major Gulu Novruzov, Coordinator for International Cooperation and Projects Elvin Mejidov, and leading instructor from the Department of Information Technology and Technical Sciences Sefa Bakan, engaged in discussions to establish collaboration agreements with Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH), Istanbul Aydın University, and Altınbas University.

At the meeting held at IZTECH, the future directions for collaboration between the two institutions were outlined. Subsequently, a bilateral Cooperation Memorandum was signed between Gulu Novruzov and Prof. Dr. Yusuf Baran, the rector of IZTECH. Notably, the process of establishing this collaboration began in the first half of 2024.

At Altınbas University, discussions with Rector Prof. Dr.Chagrı Erhan led to an agreement to expand collaboration in areas such as the European Union's Erasmus+ program, international projects, joint research in cybersecurity, and international trade issues relevant to both countries. As part of this agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding previously signed in 2021 in Baku was renewed and re-signed. Under the earlier memorandum, ASCCA students had participated in the university’s student exchange program.

During discussions with Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Hakkı Aydın, Rector of Istanbul Aydın University, priorities such as establishing bilateral cooperation, student and staff exchanges, international projects, joint research under the Erasmus+ program, knowledge exchange events, and sectoral cooperation were deliberated upon. Following these discussions, a Cooperation Protocol and a Special Agreement on Student Exchange were signed.

The visit also included discussions with Turkish cybersecurity companies. In a meeting with Destan Yılancı, CEO of Parta Networks, a firm specializing in cybersecurity and IT solutions based at IZTECH’s Technopark, joint collaboration opportunities in cybersecurity were explored, leading to the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement. Talks with GAİS Cybersecurity focused on expanding existing collaborative efforts.

ASCCA head Gulu Novruzov emphasized the longstanding friendship and brotherly ties between Azerbaijan and Turkiye and underlined the importance of collaboration in education. He highlighted the significance of a new educational agenda for Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, noting that the development of education and scientific activities in these areas is one of Azerbaijan's new strategic priorities.