French-Azerbaijani University

The French-Azerbaijani University (, , UFAZ) was created in 2016 on the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and French President François Hollande as a joint project led by the University of Strasbourg and the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU). History On May 12, 2014, during the visit of the French President François Hollande to Azerbaijan, the Ministers of Education of France and Azerbaijan signed a Letter of intent focusing on cooperation between universities in order to strengthen educational ties between France and Azerbaijan. Another Letter of intent was also signed by the Education Ministers of both countries on April 25, 2015 during the second official visit of François Hollande to Azerbaijan. On May 15 of the same year, the proposal for cooperation was approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan by decree No. 1242, and on June 9, 2016, Ilham Aliyev signed an order about the implementation of the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) project. On September 15, 2016, the UFAZ inauguration ceremony was attended by the Minister of Education of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov and the French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Aurélia Bouchez. The first academic year of the UFAZ was housed in the main building of the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU).