Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 4 / Trend S. Agayeva /
Azerbaijan and Lithuania plan to sign an agreement on cooperation in education, Lithuania's Deputy Minister of Education and Science Rimantas Vaitkus said in Baku on Thursday.
"I am very pleased that the number of Azerbaijani students studying in Lithuania tripled to over 70 for a short time," he added. "Lithuania is an interesting country and I think Azerbaijani students can get a decent education."
He said as an EU member, Lithuania changed its education system in line with European requirements a long time ago. The quality of education improved.
"I have already met the Azerbaijani Education Minister, as well as with rectors of two leading universities of the country as part of my current visit to Baku," he said. "I discussed the cooperation prospects in the field of education. An agreement on working out a new agreement on cooperation in the field of education was reached. I think it will be signed next year."
Azerbaijan has made a big step forward in the field of education, he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, the Lithuanian government also plans to allocate scholarships for Azerbaijani students in 2014.
He added that representatives of more than 20 Lithuanian universities are accompanying him during his visit to Azerbaijan.
They will present the opportunities of higher education in Lithuania at the seventh International Education and Career Exhibition in Baku on October 4-6.
Azerbaijan is considered one of the most promising markets for Lithuanian universities wishing to attract foreign students, he said. Five Lithuanian universities, namely Vilnius University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Kaunas ) and Vytautas the Great University (Kaunas ) are included on the list of universities participating in the 'State Programmd on education of Azerbaijani youth abroad'.
The Lithuanian embassy in Azerbaijan organized an official event "Higher Education Opportunities in Lithuania" on Thursday on the occasion of the participation of the Lithuanian delegation in Baku's International Education Exhibition. The higher education system of the country and its competitiveness in Europe and worldwide was presented.
The representatives of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education, Azerbaijani universities and secondary schools, Azerbaijanis who have graduated from Lithuanian universities, parents of Azerbaijani students currently studying in Lithuania attended the event.