Erasmus+ office and programmes to close in Azerbaijan

(Updated: about 14 hours ago)• 3 min read

▲Parviz Baghirov. Photo: Education Ministry's newspaper.

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Parviz Baghirov, head of the National Erasmus+ Office in Azerbaijan at the European Commission wrote on social media that all activities under the Erasmus+ programme are effectively on an unofficial hold. He added that due to the current situation, the National Erasmus+ Office will also soon be closed.

Baghirov said ‘this means that there has been no progress in the implementation of hundreds of ICM student and staff exchange programmes, CBHE (Capacity Building in Higher Education) projects, Jean Monnet initiatives, and other Erasmus+ projects. This means new projects are not being registered and even active ones are being put on hold.’

Baghirov said that due to the current situation, the National Erasmus+ Office will also soon be closed. ‘This could seriously affect the future implementation of the programme and undermine the sustainability of Erasmus+ projects in our country’.

The total budget of the projects is about ₼20 million ($12 million), Baghirov said, and the suspension of their implementation will have a serious impact on the Azerbaijani higher education sector and international cooperation.

‘In addition, 32 different higher education institutions in Azerbaijan participate in Erasmus+ projects. The academic cooperation they have established with European universities has been formed through 27 projects, and the suspension of this process can seriously damage the international activities of these universities’, Baghirov said.

In his interview with the Education Ministry’s newspaper Baghirov said that Erasmus+ is the largest programme funded by the EU at the higher education level. ‘It usually runs for seven years. The programme is regularly updated and currently covers the years 2021–2027. The seven-year budget for this programme is approximately €30 billion ($32 billion)’.

Baghirov said that every year, ‘almost a thousand people get the opportunity to take part in Erasmus projects and about 5,000 people have gone’ since the beginning of their cooperation.

Azerbaijani higher education institutions started participating in the previous forms of the programme in 1993.

‘This situation is due to the uncertainty surrounding the official implementation of the program in Azerbaijan, and unfortunately, there is no concrete solution in sight yet. We have informed all relevant authorities about this issue and are looking for a solution’, Baghirov concluded.

On 5 March, Baghirov stated that the current restrictions do not apply to the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree (EMJMD). ‘This programme is structured differently, it is aimed at individual candidates, and undergraduate graduates can apply directly and win a scholarship on their own. This means that there are no changes for candidates wishing to study a Master’s degree in Europe under the Erasmus Mundus programme and they can apply as before’.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan-EU Relationship

Aytan Farhadova •

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An experienced journalist, Aytan has worked with Azerbaijani, regional, and international media. Formerly with Meydan TV, she now lives in Georgia, where she focuses on investigative journalism, covering topics such as government accountability and domestic violence.