A meeting of the Academic Council of the Institute of Geography H. Aliyev of the AR MSE was held under the chairmanship of Zaur Imrani, the Acting Director General, Doctor of Philosophy and Associate Professor.

Newly admitted doctoral students, their supervisors, and students from the University of Giessen (Germany) undergoing an internship in Azerbaijan also participated in the event.

First, the dissertation topics for the candidates were discussed and approved.

Then, Beyimkhanum Huseynova, the employee of the Department of Demography and Population Geography, who was sent to the city of Giessen for 3 months as part of a student exchange, made a report in accordance with the memorandum of cooperation concluded between the Institute of Geography and the Faculty of Geography of the University of Giessen (Germany).

B.Huseynova presented a report on the scientific seminars that she attended during her internship from April 20, 2025, to July 17, 2025 as part of the "Strengthening Regional Cooperation through the Establishment of Transnational Geoparks" project of the East-West Dialogue 2025 program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She spoke about their significance, role, and benefits for future research. At the seminar, the doctoral student described the excursions, conferences, and research and practical work she participated in, emphasizing the importance of such programs for enhancing young people's research skills, developing language skills, and gaining new experience.

The presentation was given by Shams Imrani, a senior laboratory assistant in the Department of Geography of Tourism and Recreation, who completed a one-month internship at the University of Giessen (Germany) as part of this collaboration.

It is reported that employees of the Institute of Geography - Shams Imrani and junior research fellow "Geoinformatics and Cartography" Nazim Gerayli, as well as doctoral students - Guler Hidayatli, Sevinj Burzuyeva, Gullu Askerli and Lamiya Khalilova - exchanged experiences from June 15 to July 15, 2025 at the University of Giessen within the framework of the international project "Geographical education and research innovations: joint adaptation strategies to climate change in Azerbaijan" of the program "Adaptation to climate change and geographical exchange".

During the exchange, the Azerbaijani interns presented papers at a scientific seminar organized at the University of Giessen on the topics: "The Role of Community-Based Cultural Tourism in Protecting Minority Heritage (using the example of the Red Settlement in the Guba District)", "The Role of Sports Tourism in Ensuring Regional Development in Post-Conflict Zones" (using the example of Azerbaijan), "Sustainable Tourism in the Mountainous Regions of Azerbaijan: Environmental Impact and Visitor Management in the Goygol National Park", "Transformation of Post-Industrial Territories into Urban Recreation Areas: Transition from an Oil Landscape to a Green Landscape in Baku", and "Urban Tourism in the Era of Smart Cities: Balancing Innovation and Sustainability in Baku".