Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan visits CFC
H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Netherlands, is seen with Managing Director Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal at the Secretariat of the CFC. H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov came to visit CFC, for the first time, to know more about the activities of the CFC and its impact on the ground. He further enquired on modalities of how the Republic of Azerbaijan could become a member of CFC to avail of the benefits of CFC’s impact investment.
His Excellency was accompanied by Ms. Seljan Verdiyeva, First Secretary at the Embassy. Ambassador Belal was accompanied by Mr. Hector Besong, Portfolio and Risk Manager of CFC.
Ambassador Belal while sharing the basics of the CFC’s structure and working process, also shared insights on how innovations in agriculture, which, in his views, are in abundance in the Netherlands and in the region, being used in the implementation of CFC’s projects. Ambassador Belal also shared with the Ambassador Akhundov, in response, stories from CFC’s projects where new innovations have been incorporated to bring higher productivity. Ambassador Belal also elaborated on how a project led by a women entrepreneur in Africa has been able to provide much needed nutrition for children. The realization of nutrition security is perhaps a stark lesson of this pandemic that we all have been sadly going through. They also discussed other innovations that CFC is either implementing or contemplating to implement in the near future.
Ambassador Akhundov expressed his satisfaction at the workings of the CFC and hoped that the good work of CFC shall also, in the future, extend up to his own country - Azerbaijan. With neighbors like Iraq and Syria already being members of CFC, it almost makes it incumbent on Azerbaijan to join CFC and enjoy the impact of the fund right away, Ambassador Belal added. With their impressive socio-economic successes, Azerbaijan makes an ideal candidate to become a member of the CFC.