Damascus, SANA- Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Marwan Halabi, and Pakistani Undersecretary for Middle East Affairs, Mr. Shehryar Akbar Khan, along with his accompanying delegation, discussed on Tuesday areas of cooperation in higher education and scientific research. This included exchanging expertise, scholarships, and information technology.
During the meeting at the ministry in Damascus, Minister Al-Halabi praised the deep-rooted and fruitful historical relations between Syria and Pakistan, emphasizing the cultural and religious ties that form the foundation for future development and cooperation, especially in higher education.
He affirmed that the ministry prioritizes students’ interests and that Syria will rise again with the help of friendly countries like Pakistan. He also highlighted that lifting sanctions on Syria would lead to a qualitative leap in higher education by opening up to international scientific platforms.
Minister Halabi shed light on the current focus on investing in higher education and the knowledge economy. He revealed the formation of a committee to reactivate the Information Technology Center, which was established in 2002 with support from Pakistan, recognizing its role in serving scientific research and promoting digital knowledge.
He also stressed the importance of cooperation in curriculum development, securing scientific research requirements, university rankings, exchanging expertise, scholarships, and entrepreneurship.
For his part, Mr. Akbar Khan conveyed the congratulations of the Pakistani government and its president to Syria on its liberation. He reaffirmed his country’s support for the Syrian people and government and its backing for Syria’s unity and independence.
He also noted Pakistan’s supportive role in Syria’s return to its seat in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Mr. Akbar Khan highlighted that Pakistan possesses distinguished human resources in information technology and highly skilled medical personnel.
He expressed readiness to offer this expertise for Syrian projects, reactivate previous agreements between the two countries, work on providing new scholarships, and meet the needs of the higher education sector in Syria. He also mentioned the formation of a joint communication and work committee that will be activated in the coming days.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
