TEHRAN - Turkmenistan Ambassador to Iran Ahmad Kakabayevich Gurbanov has said his country is ready to boost relations with Iran, especially in academic and technological areas.

“We are interested in sending students to study in Iran,” he said, adding that due to the importance of scientific issues, various scientific and technological fields can also be included.

He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with the deputy science minister Hashem Dadashpour, ISNA reported.

Unfortunately, there has been no special cooperation between the two countries in the academic field, he pointed out.

“Due to the fact that we cannot fully provide education for all students in Turkmenistan, students always travel to other countries to study.”

There are many opportunities that we have not used so far. The intergovernmental commission of Turkmenistan and Iran is being formed to intensify bilateral relations, the envoy highlighted.

“We intend to have extensive activities in the field of youth and in this regard, we intend to cooperate with Iran in the field of science and technology,” he concluded.

The Iranian official, for his part, said that “We can create conditions for the students of Turkmenistan, to study in Iranian universities based on their interest in different fields.”

The development of scientific and technological cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan will lead to the growth of science in the region, Dadashpour said.

Holding exhibitions on higher education achievements in the field of science and technology is one of the ways for bilateral scientific cooperation, he noted.

Professors and students of Turkmenistan can visit Iran to learn the Persian language and benefit from research and educational opportunities, he concluded.

Iran is among the 15 successful countries in attracting international students, according to Mohammad Javad Salmanpour, the deputy head of the Organization for Student Affairs.

“We have the ability and capacity to have more than 250,000 foreign students by 2026,” he stated.

Currently, nearly 100,000 foreign nationals are studying in Iran, more than 90 percent of whom are from Iraq and Afghanistan and the rest are from other countries.

These students are studying in different fields of science, research and technology, health and medical education, and also in the fields of humanities, Islamic sciences, Persian language and literature, law, fundamentals of Islamic law, management fields, economics, psychology, social sciences, as well as engineering, agricultural sciences, animal sciences, and basic sciences.

In December 2022, Dadashpour said the number of foreign students will double in Iranian universities in the next three years.

Universities should increase their interactions and scientific exchanges in order to attract international students and accelerate internationalization in the region and the world, he highlighted.

Iranian universities achieved good ranks at the global level and based on the evaluations of the world’s most prestigious institutions so that there is the capacity to attract international students, he said.

He mentioned holding the cultural and sports Olympiad for international students as a way to make them more aware of Iran’s capabilities.

According to the latest edition of the best global universities ranking released by U. S. News, 52 Iranian institutions were ranked among the best institutions worldwide.

Fifty-eight universities from Iran were listed among the top universities in Asia, according to the 2022 Asia University Rankings of the Times Higher Education.

MG