Tunis — Australia is willing to host Tunisian students in priority fields for their country's economy, said Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd at his meeting here on Thursday with Refaat Chaabouni, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

He went on saying that his country wanted to encourage the exchange of young research workers and professors, in addition to the working out of joint programmes of research in fields of mutual interest, notably the development of dry-land farming.

The Australian FM expressed as well his country's support to the democratic transition in Tunisia.

The Tunisian Minister expressed in turn his country's wish to take advantage of Australian experience in matters of opening out of universities onto their economic and social environment, promotion of the employment of higher education graduates and scientific research.

He outlined that the current situation in Tunisia provided promising prospects of cooperation in the fields of higher education and research.

Source: TAP