Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Khalilova / Heydar Babayev, the Azerbaijani Minister for Economic Development, announced in a meeting with Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Professor of Florence University and UNICEF scientific researcher, that in 2007 a total of 100 Azerbaijani students will gain the right to receive an education at world leading universities. In 2008 this figure will be increased to 1,000, he added.
Babayev said that the implementation of the State Program on education of Azerbaijani youth in foreign countries in (2007-2015) will provide different areas of economy with highly qualified specialists.
In turn Professor Cornia appraised the measures in the country for Azerbaijan's integration into Europe, increase in state care in the development of education, as well as making it one of major investment sectors. He proposed the conduct of research by UNICEF in Azerbaijan to define children's interests in education. Such research has been carried out in Kazakhstan among children aged between 6 and 15 and 15 and 19.
The minister voiced his readiness to support this proposal for the need of such research.