The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), in partnership with Azerbaijan’s Institute of Botany, hosted an international workshop in Islamabad focused on nature-based medicinal and cosmetic products. The workshop brought together leading scientists, researchers, and young scholars from Pakistan and Azerbaijan to exchange knowledge, foster collaborative research, and build capacity in the fields of medicinal plants, phytochemistry, and natural product sciences.
Opening the event, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General of COMSTECH, highlighted the growing significance of natural medicine. He emphasized that combining traditional wisdom with modern scientific approaches is creating promising opportunities in drug discovery, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics. Prof. Choudhary also noted that the workshop aimed not only to strengthen research collaboration but also to deepen the historical ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan within the OIC framework.
Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Khazar Nadir Farhadov, welcomed participants and expressed gratitude to COMSTECH. He underscored the strong bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, both directly and through OIC cooperation. The ambassador highlighted Azerbaijan’s longstanding tradition in natural medicine and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration in natural medicine and related sciences with Pakistan and other OIC member states.
Prof. Dr. Sayyara Ibadullayeva, Director General of the Institute of Botany in Azerbaijan, addressed key challenges in studying the medicinal flora of Azerbaijan and delivered the workshop’s closing remarks.
The workshop’s technical sessions featured expert presentations from both countries. Prof. Dr. M. Raza Shah of the University of Karachi discussed innovative approaches in drug delivery systems. Prof. Dr. Dilzara Aghayeva and Prof. Dr. Nigar Mursal from the Institute of Botany in Azerbaijan presented on the challenges of studying useful plants and on ongoing fungal research, respectively. Prof. Dr. Attia-ul-Wahab of ICCBS highlighted the chemical diversity and therapeutic potential of natural products, while Dr. Emil Shukurlu and Dr. Hilar Mammadov from Azerbaijan shed light on the medicinal value and active compounds of specific plant species.
Further contributions included Dr. Ahsana Dar from Hamdard University, emphasizing the need for evidence-based studies to support traditional medicine, and Prof. Dr. Jamshed Iqbal from COMSATS University Islamabad, who discussed the discovery of new disease-treating compounds. Other experts from Azerbaijan also spoke on the phytochemistry of Valeriana species and useful plants around the Mingachevir Reservoir.
The workshop concluded with a question-and-answer session, closing remarks, and the distribution of certificates. Participants commended both COMSTECH and the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, for facilitating collaboration and training opportunities. The event reaffirmed the shared commitment of Pakistan and Azerbaijan to advancing research in natural product sciences and strengthening scientific cooperation across the OIC region.
