KONDIĆ-PANIĆ: SPACE CREATED FOR ACADEMIC EXCHANGE AND COOPERATION

PARIS, MARCH 13 /SRNA/ - A visit to the Catholic Institute in the French department of Vendée has opened the door for future cooperation and academic exchange with the University of Banja Luka, thereby strengthening ties between European and Balkan higher education institutions, Bojana Kondić-Panić, head of the Representative Office of Republika Srpska in Paris, told SRNA.

"We discussed the potential for cooperation between faculties, exchanges and visits, as well as opportunities for student exchanges within various study programs," Kondić-Panić said, adding that she visited this institution of higher learning accompanied by Colonel Jacques Hogard. According to her, special attention was paid to the exchange of experience in the fields of political science, law, and social sciences, as well as to the promotion of international cooperation. "Cordial meetings were held with General Frédéric Blachon, Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and History, Eric Gérard, director of the Institute, John Laughland, a British historian and political analyst, Pierre-Emmanuel Thomann, a French expert on geopolitics, as well as François-Xavier Deniau, a French diplomat and ambassador," Kondić-Panić said. Kondić-Panić said that views on the current global geopolitical situation were also informally exchanged with experts, which further enriched the academic and professional dimension of the visit. The Catholic University Institute in Vendée /ICES/, a higher education institution, was founded in 1990 and offers bachelor's and master's level studies, with national diplomas under state supervision, in four main academic areas: law, economics, management and political science; history, humanities and social sciences; arts, literature and languages; and science, technology and health.