On the sidelines of the 27th General Assembly of the Association of the State Universities of the Caspian sea Region Countries, held with the participation of scientific representatives from the five countries at Atyrau State University named after Kh. Dosmukhamedov, a scientific and educational cooperation memorandum was signed by Dr. Ali Basti, Chancellor of the University of Guilan, and Dr. Olga Kartashova, Director of the Caspian Institute of Sea and River Transport named after Gen. Adm. F. M. Apraksin. 

The MoU, designed to promote the internationalization of higher education, expand faculty and student exchanges, and implement joint scientific and research activities, commits both institutions to establishing the necessary frameworks for direct communication among faculty members, faculties, and academic departments, and to initiate effective collaboration in common specialized fields. 

Key areas of the MoU include facilitating short- and long-term academic visits for faculty members, organizing joint scientific meetings, workshops, and conferences, launching joint educational programs in specialized fields, and conducting collaborative research projects related to maritime and river transport. 

It is noteworthy that the Caspian Institute of Sea and River Transport named after Gen. Adm. F. M. Apraksin is one of Russian Federation’s leading centers for training specialists in navigation, maritime and river transport. Its primary focus is on maritime navigation, water logistics, port management, and technologies related to the Caspian Sea and the Volga River. The institute currently has over 3,000 students.​​​​​​​