Zakon o ratifikaciji Sporazuma med Vlado Republike Slovenije in Vlado Azerbajdžanske republike o sodelovanju v kulturi, izobraževanju in znanosti (BAZSKIZ)

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as “the Contracting Parties”)

Desiring to develop and enhance friendly relations between the two countries and deepen cooperation and exchange in the fields of culture, education and science;

Guided by the norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter; and

Resolved to sign this Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Education and Science (hereinafter referred to as “the Agreement”);

have agreed as follows:

The Contracting Parties, in conformity with the principles of equality and mutual benefit, shall encourage and support exchange and cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, art, sport, tourism, and youth.

The Contracting Parties, in accordance with their respective national legislations, shall encourage cooperation in the field of education and science through:

– Exchanging lecturers, scientists and experts, participation in conferences, delivering lectures, and conducting research, with a view to familiarizing both Contracting Parties with their respective education systems;

– Exchanging undergraduate and postgraduate students, based on direct cooperation between interested institutions;

– Establishing direct cooperation and contacts between universities and other educational, scientific and research institutions, including the respective diplomatic academies;

– Exchange of trainees for training, based on direct cooperation between interested institutions;

– Promoting the study of the language, literature, culture, and history of the other country.

The Contracting Parties shall examine the possibility of reciprocal recognition of education programmes.

The Contracting Parties shall encourage public awareness of the cultural heritage of the other Contracting Party and of its cultural achievements, both classical and contemporary.

To this end, they shall encourage:

– Exchange of information on the cultural life of both countries;

– Exchange of art and photo exhibitions;

– Participation in international music, song and folk dance festivals held by both Contracting Parties;

– Invitations extended to writers, artists, and other cultural professionals of either Contracting Party;

– The implementation of the “Ljubljana Process” in the sphere of cultural heritage and the “Baku Process” in the sphere of intercultural dialogue in the Contracting Parties.

The Contracting Parties shall foster contacts and cooperation between museums, libraries and archives as well as institutions in the fields of archaeology and the restoration of historical monuments.

The Contracting Parties shall encourage cooperation in the field of radio and television, and promote the exchange of radio and television programmes.

They shall also foster cooperation between the press agencies of both countries.

The Contracting Parties shall encourage cooperation in the field of sport as well as exchanges between youth organizations of both countries.

In line with the objectives of this Agreement, the Contracting Parties shall encourage tourist exchange.

The sending state shall arrange adequate health insurance for persons exchanged in compliance with the Agreement prior to their arrival in the receiving state for the period of their stay in that state.

In the implementation of this Agreement, the Contracting Parties shall periodically develop specific exchange programmes and agree upon the financial terms for their application.

On the basis of the Agreement, relevant bodies and institutions of both countries may conclude agreements or protocols on direct cooperation.

Amendments to the Agreement may be made by mutual consent of the Contracting Parties in the form of separate protocols which are an integral part of the Agreement and enter into force in accordance with the procedure set forth in Article 12 hereof.

This Agreement is concluded for an indefinite period of time. It shall enter into force on the date of receipt by the Contracting Parties of the last written notification through diplomatic channels that the internal legal procedures required for the entry into force of this Agreement have been fulfilled.

Each Contracting Party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement in writing at any time. In such a case, the Agreement shall expire six months following the date on which the notification of termination was received by the other Contracting Party.

The termination of this Agreement shall have no effect on the implementation of programmes in progress that have not been completed during the validity of this Agreement.

Done at Ljubljana this 9 day of June 2011, in duplicate in the Slovenian, Azerbaijani and English languages, each text being equally authentic. In case of divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.