On May 4, a meeting was held at Khazar University with Reijo Aholainen, Advisor for the "Support to the Ministry of Education for further adherence of the higher education system to the European Higher Education Area" Twinning Project. Participants in the meeting included Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees; Dr. Hasan Niknafs, President of the University; Raziya Isayeva, Development Director; and Dr. Irada Khalilova, Head of the Biology Department. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the further development of doctoral studies in Azerbaijan and to make recommendations.

During the meeting, Lyudmila Sotova, Director of the Quality Assurance Center, made a presentation about the center activities. ThenDr. Eldar Shahgaldiyev, Head of the Division for Graduate Students and Research, made recommendations for increasing the quality of doctoral education.

As a result of the meeting, a decision was made to develop a close working relationship with the Twinning project and to hold further meetings for discussion.

The main goals of the Twinning project are to further develop the higher education system in Azerbaijan by means of integration into the European Higher Education Area, to develop policies about the Bologna System, and to increase the capacity of the Ministry of Education and similar institutions of the Azerbaijan Republic to implement the objectives and tools of the European Higher Education Area.