Iran ready to increase student exchange with Russia

Tehran, IRNA – Iran's Organization of Student Affairs affiliated with the Ministry of Education of Iran has expressed readiness to expand the exchange of students with Russia. Deputy head of the scholarship and foreign students’ affairs department of the Organization of Student Affairs Mohammad Javad Salmanpour said on Saturday that the language of science is definitely one of the common languages, which helps develop cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, so the Islamic Republic would welcome Russian students to Iranian universities. Salmanpour and his colleagues in the Student Affairs Organization – Mohammad Mohammadi Masoudi and Jafar Razaghi – held talks with Dmitry Kalinichenko, the representative of the Russian cooperation organization in Iran, and his companions in Tehran on Saturday morning. The deputy head of the scholarship and foreign students’ affairs department noted that the organization is keen on exchanging students with Russia, expressing hope that the meeting would end up in expansion of cooperation in this respect. Kalinichenko, for his part, thanked the Student Affairs Organization, adding that there are 300 Iranian students with scholarships in Russia and that the number can increase in the future. The Russian official went on to say that the Russian Cooperation Organization in Iran plans to select Iranian students to get scholarships at Russia’s universities as well as to hold Olympiads and seminars. He also said that Moscow is interested in exchanging students with Tehran, expressing readiness for teaching the Persian Language in Russia and Russian Language in Iran. Jafar Razaghi, the director general of international students’ affairs of the Student Affairs Organization, said that Iran hosts students from about 117 countries. According to the official, given the fact that Russia and Iran enjoy amicable ties, it is necessary to expand scientific and student exchanges. Mohammad Mohammadi Masoudi, the director general of scholarship of the Student Affairs Organization, called for creating a joint scholarship between Russian and Iranian universities. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish