Astrakhan & Iran Are Nearer to Each Other

In late April 2014, a delegation of Astrakhan Region headed by Governor Alexander Zhilkin has visited Iran’s northern provinces - Guilan and Mazandaran. Our regional educational sphere has been represented by three officials - Mr. Vitaliy Gutman (Regional Minister of Education & Science), Prof. Yuri Pimenov (Presidents of Astrakhan State Technical University), and Dr. Nikolay Khurchak (Vice Rector for International Relations of Astrakhan State University).

During their visit, the delegation from Astrakhan has visited the University of Guilan in Rasht, the Guilan Science & Technology Park, the University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in Sari, the Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, and the University of Mazandaran in Babolsar.

During a meeting at the University of Guilan, an additional agreement to exchange faculty and students in the academic year 2014-2015 has been signed. The reps of Astrakhan State University have suggested launching a joint master program “Russian as a Foreign Language” and exchanging faculty and students as a part of this program. As for the Iranian party, they have suggested intensifying the bilateral cooperation in the research sphere and extending the exchange program in the field of studying Farsi and Russian, as well as in other fields.

The main issue put under consideration at the Guilan Science & Technology Park was to enhance cooperation with the Technopark of Astrakhan State University in the field of science and technologies. The Iranian party proposed to hold an exhibition of scientific achievements of the Guilan Province in Astrakhan and to arrange a similar event in Iran. Management of the Guilan Science & Technology Park has displayed profound interest in exporting goods to ex-Soviet countries via Astrakhan Region.

As for the University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in Sari, it has been agreed to extend cooperation in the field of researching some particular plant species and to welcome a delegation of this University at ASU in June 2014.

At the Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, the issue of arranging the 17^th Assembly of the Association of Universities of Caspian Countries in Astrakhan as a part of the agenda of the Summit of Caspian Countries in September 2014 has been discussed.

During their visit to the University of Mazandaran, the delegation from Astrakhan has been shown the Central Library and the Center of University Documentation, the Faculty of Physical Education & Sport Science, the Laboratory of Genetic Applied Researches in Physiology, and the Laboratory of Motion Studies & Impact of Loads upon Human Organism. Besides, the Astrakhan experts in the field of education have taken part in the official opening of the Russian Language Classroom at the University of Mazandaran, whose students have shown excellent knowledge of the Russian language and their interest in inclusive studies at ASU to cover exchange programs there.

As for the University of Mazandaran, its reps have proposed to exchange students and faculty, to arrange international conferences and exhibitions of their research products (in particular, in Applied Linguistics), to launch joint master programs and short-term courses for faculty, and to have research papers printed in scientific journals that the two universities publish.

The academic year 2014-2015 promises to be productive in the field of cooperation between Iranian universities and Astrakhan State University.

Translated by E.I. Glinchevskiy (the Center of Translation Studies & Conference Interpreting “ASTLINK” of ASU)