UrFU Strengthens Collaborative Efforts with Azerbaijan University of Languages

On December 14, the visit of UrFU delegation to Azerbaijan began. The delegation includes:

1. Evgenia Saburova, the Head of the International Marketing and Communications Office;
2. Yulia Zapariy, PhD in History, Associate Professor at the Department of Modern and Contemporary History, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Primary Sources Research, Head of the Office of Research and Innovative Work Organization;
3. Anna Pecherkina, Head of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education, Head of the Faculty of Psychology, Senior Researcher of the Academic and Research Laboratory of Neurotechnologies, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor;
4. Rustam Muslumov, Associate Professor at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education, Head of the Center for Professional Retraining, Qualification Development and Continuing Education, PhD in Psychology.

The visit of the UrFU delegation to the Azerbaijan Language University, one of the main partners of the UrFU in Azerbaijan, began with a meeting with the Rector of the University – Kamal Mehdi oghlu Abdullayev. Kamal Abdullah (full name: Kamal Mehdi oghlu  Abdullayev), the rector of Azerbaijan University of Languages, People’s Writer, the State Advisor for the multinational, multicultural, and religious affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2014-2017), PhD, Professor, Honored Scientist, active member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Science, the chairman of Azerbaijan Creative Foundation, former rector of Baku Slavic University (2000-2014), linguist, literary critic; as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2014-2018), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Baku International Center for Multiculturalism. He is also an Honorary Doctor of the Ural Federal University.

Rector Kamal Abdullah has a long-standing partnership with Rector Victor Koksharov and Alexander Nesterov, Head of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Director of the Center for Azerbaijani Studies. He spoke about the importance of cooperation with the Ural Federal University. The universities have a cooperation agreement since 2019.

He also noted the importance of the meeting, as it allows to develop new projects, as the people from the departments of psychology and history of UrFU visit the Azerbaijan University of Languages. Previously, the main cooperation was with the UrFU Center of Azerbaijani Studies in the field of Turkology.

Rector Kamal Abdullah also proposed the creation of a permanent commission for the development of scientific cooperation between UrFU and AUL. It is assumed that four representatives from each side would be assigned to supervise joint projects and hold annual face-to-face meetings – a visit to Baku and Ekaterinburg. The rector of UrFU will consider the proposal of his colleague.

A meeting was also held at the Russian Studies Center Scientific-Research Laboratory at AUL, created under the guidance of the Rector of Azerbaijan University of Languages Kamal Abdullah in 2017 as the only center conducting research on Russia in the country. The Center trains Russian specialists with impeccable knowledge of the Russian language, culture, and history. The university pays great attention to the development of this project, preservation, and popularization of Russian culture and language in Azerbaijan. The meeting was organized on the initiative of Diana Huseynzadeh, head of the Center for Russian Studies.

In addition, during the visit of UrFU representatives to AUL, a round table was held with faculty members of the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy and the Faculty of International Relations. A presentation of UrFU and its scientific and educational potential, in general, was made. They also discussed with the Azerbaijani colleagues the possibilities of joint work on the following projects, the topics of mutual interest for research:

1. Cooperation within the framework of the strategic project “Human Well-being in the Conditions of Digital Transformation”,
2. Cooperation within the framework of the project “Diaspora communities and migration processes in the conditions of transformation of the global political system and world economic relations”,
3. Study of demographic processes and family history in Eurasia in the new and modern times.
4. Joint participation of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan in international organizations.
5. Research in the field of psychology of professional development (active professional longevity of a teacher, crises of loss of a teacher’s profession, psychology of stress and coping behavior);
6. Research in the field of cognitive psychology and psychophysiology of cognitive processes
7. Psychological and subjective well-being at different ages and concerning different professional groups.

A presentation of UrFU and its educational programs was also held for international students and AUL psychologists. In addition, they received a video greeting from their fellow Azerbaijani students of UrFU – the Azerbaijan Student Association specially prepared a video in Russian and Azerbaijani with a story about their positive experience at the university, interesting education, and active life in Ekaterinburg.

In addition, UrFU scientists held thematic workshops for AUL students studying in the programs of regional studies and psychology at the Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku:

• Workshop by Yulia Zapariy “Great Expectations”: the history of the establishment and activities of the United Nations;
• Master class of Rustam Muslumov “Possibilities of cognitive-behavioral therapy in work with anxiety”.