China, Azerbaijan to boost ties in education

BAKU, July 13 (Xinhua) -- China and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement to promote exchanges of teachers and students in order to foster closer cultural ties.

The agreement was signed by Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hong Jiuyin and Azerbaijani Education Minister Misir Mardanov here on Friday.

It envisages cooperation in education between the two countries, exchanges of teachers and students, and efforts to build stronger ties between institutions for the 2012-2015 period.

Currently, 31 Azerbaijani students are studying in Chinese universities and 17 students have already graduated over the past years. More than 200 Chinese students are now studying in Azerbaijan.

Last year, a Confucius Institute opened here in Azerbaijan's capital based on an agreement between China's Anhui University and Baku State University. The Institute, which teaches the Chinese language and culture, aims to provide comprehensive services to promote cross-cultural exchanges. Enditem