"Azerbaijani people from older generation often know Lithuania and are of very good opinion about us – Lithuanians are considered a warm and kind nation. Young people from Azerbaijan know that Lithuania is a good place to study, that study quality here is usually higher than at home and that there's no discrimination", says Neringa Narbutienė, Director of International Relations Department at KTU.
According to her, KTU has been known for Azerbaijani prospective students since 2010, when the first two students came. Now KTU has almost 50 Azerbaijani students and nearly 20 graduates.
In total KTU is collaborating with 4 Azerbaijan universities in the fields of academic exchange, common projects and joint research. Also, KTU is preparing an Erasmus+ application for academic exchange with Azerbaijan ADA University. Still, according to Narbutienė, there are many more ways for development and intensifying the relationships
"At the moment, KTU has more to offer to Azerbaijani universities – we can advise and instruct on implementing Bologna process, on reorganising study programmes, or on knowledge transfer", says Narbutienė.
However, according to her, education field is connected to business, therefore, with collaboration between higher education institutions, business sector also becomes accessible. Azerbaijan, in Narbutienė's opinion, is an attractive market for Lithuanian enterprises.
