Heads of Jordanian universities and their Russian counterparts met at UJ on Monday to discuss ways to boost mutual academic cooperation. The two sides recommended the establishment of a Russian - Jordanian technical university.

Chaired by UJ President Prof. Ekhleif Tarawneh, the meeting comes within the Jordanian - Russian two-day conference and was attended by all of the Higher Education Minister Amin Mahmoud, Russian Ambassador Boris Bolotin, deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian agency for international cooperation Larisa Efremova and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science representative.

The conference is part of a series of joint meetings between the two countries on the various political, economic and cultural levels, said Tarawneh, pointing to the role of universities in facilitating understanding between the two countries.

Higher Education Minister Amin Mahmoud confirmed that the two sides is determined to come up with concrete results, expressing Jordan’s interest in the establishment of a joint technical university.

Russian Ambassador to Jordan Boris Bolotin said “Developing partnership and cooperation in education and academia motivates further cooperation in scientific research.”

Larisa Efremova, deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian agency for international cooperation, expressed the agency’s willingness to provide all sorts of support to ensure the success of the conference.

The representative of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science spoke about the Russian educational system.

Moreover, the attendees discussed the higher education systems and the recognition of foreign qualifications in both Jordan and Russia, in addition to other common academic issues.

The second day of the conference is set to include a workshop on developing teaching methods of the Russian language at Jordanian universities, in addition to a roundtable discussion on promoting bilateral cooperation in science and technology in association with the Higher Council for Science & Technology.