Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Marwan al-Halabi announced the signing of a framework cooperation agreement between Syria and Turkey in higher education and scientific research, following talks with Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) President Erol Özvar, attended by a ministry delegation.
Academic and research partnership
Al-Halabi said on his official Facebook page that the agreement aims to strengthen academic partnership and develop scientific and research cooperation between the two countries, contributing to the advancement of higher education systems in both countries.
Turkish university branches in northern Syria
Al-Halabi expressed Syria’s and the Ministry of Higher Education’s appreciation for the role played by Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in supporting the higher education sector during the years of the Syrian revolution, particularly by opening branches of Turkish universities in northern Syria.
The Turkish university branches enabled tens of thousands of Syrian students to continue their university studies under difficult circumstances.
Coordination on shared issues
Al-Halabi stressed that the shared issues would be addressed in coordination with the Turkish side in a way that safeguards students’ rights, supports efforts in the higher education sector and paves the way for broader scientific and academic cooperation in the coming period.
At the end of last July, al-Halabi had announced that a ministry delegation would make an official visit to Turkey on 5 August to continue coordination on the issue of Turkish universities in northern Syria.
