TURKMENISTAN – QATAR: A new step in the development of cooperation
Currently, under the wise leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, relations in the field of science and education, as well as cooperation, are effectively developing. From February 25 to 28, 2024 working visit of the Turkmen delegation headed by the Minister of Education of Turkmenistan B.Orazdurdyewa to the State of Qatar, and the meetings held during it testify to the importance of international scientific-educational relations in the Turkmen-Qatar cooperation.
On February 25, 2024, a meeting was held between the members of the delegation of Turkmenistan and the Minister of Education and Higher Education of the State of Qatar, Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi. During the meeting, bilateral issues in the education system were discussed, it was noted that there are great opportunities between two countries, especially in terms of establishing active relations between the parties and exchanging mutual experience in this area.
In addition, an excursion to the National Museum of the State of Qatar was organized for the Turkmen delegation. They got acquainted with the activities and exhibits of thе museums. The Turkmen delegation also visited the "Museum of Islamic Art" in Doha. This museum has the largest collection of Islamic artifacts from Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India and Central Asia.
The next day, the Rector of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiev met with the Director of the Institute of Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al-Khorr. During the meeting, our Rector put forward a number of proposals aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two institutions of higher education. Among them are the establishment of reciprocal library collaboration, online scientific seminars and conferences, and the transfer of Arabic editions of literature related to international relations to the scientific library of the Institute of International Relations of Turkmenistan. Special attention was paid to the work of the Specialized Training Center called «Diplomatic Protocol», recently opened at the National School of Turkmen Diplomacy. In this regard, specialists from the Qatari side were offered to conduct theoretical classes and online trainings at this specialized training center.
In this regard, in order to study the diplomacy of the Arabic world and the Arabic language more deeply between two higher educational institutions, to establish cooperation, the Rector J.Gurbangeldiyev made recommendations such as organizing professional improvement exchange trips and teaching-methodical classes, scientific seminars for students, holding «round table» conferences between educational specialists of the Qatari side and professors of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
Further, the delegation, headed by the Minister of Education of Turkmenistan B. Orazdurdyeva, has organized a presentation ceremony of the Qatar High School of Science and Technology, situated in the "Education Campus". Within the framework of the introduction ceremony, the Turkmen delegation met with Mrs. Abir Al Khalifa, the head of the Department of Education and Academic Affairs of the "Educational Campus". Afterwards the Turkmen delegation met with the head of the National Library of Qatar Hamad Al Kawar, which is located in the same building. At the end of the day, the Turkmen delegation visited the national pavilion of Turkmenistan «Expo – 2023, Doha» in the frames of the international exhibition «Green Nature for the Sake of the Environment».
In the first half of the day of February 27, the Turkmen delegation met with the Rector of the Doha University Salem Al Nuaimi. At the high-level meeting, special attention was paid to strengthening bilateral cooperation and scientific ties. In this regard, proposals related to bringing active cooperation to a new level were presented and some issues were discussed.
The bilateral memorandum was studied in details at the meetings of the Turkmen delegation with the administration of the Universities located on the territory of the “Education Campus”. In particular, the recommendations submitted by the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan are of great importance in opening new horizons of cooperation. In this regard, it was decided to organize a 6-month exchange program for students of higher educational institutions, to publish scientific articles of professors of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in scientific publications of Georgetown University, to transfer books and publications of Georgetown University in the field of international relations to the scientific library of the Institute of International Relations.
In the afternoon, the meeting of the Turkmen delegation with the administration of the Lusail University was also very effective.
As already mentioned, Arabic is taught as a subject in three institutions of higher education in Turkmenistan: the Turkmen National Institute of World Languages named after Dowletmammet Azadi, Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly and the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, and more than 150 students study this language. Also, more than 4.5 thousand students are studying the Arabic language in 6 secondary schools with specialization in foreign languages throughout the country. In general, these meetings were of great importance in the development of Turkmen-Qatar scientific and educational ties and cooperation in training high-level specialists.
All the activities carried out during the business visit entail special importance and new opportunities in the development of Turkmen-Qatar cooperation and provide main and effective areas of relations.
Leyla BAYGULYYEVA,
Lecturer of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.