On Tuesday, Turkish Education Minister Mahmoud Ozar kicked off the second day of his extended visit to Doha, the capital of Qatar, with a visit to Qatar’s Minister of Education and Higher Education, Buthaina bint Ali al-Jaber al-Nuaimi.
During the meeting, they discussed aspects of educational cooperation and ways to support and enhance it, in addition to issues of common interest.
Ozar expressed his pleasure at his presence in the Kingdom of Qatar and thanked Al-Nuaimi for his generous hospitality.
He noted that “as a result of our common political will and our close fraternal ties, especially through recent high-level visits, communication and cooperation between the two countries have reached a very strong and good level.”
He added, “Cooperation in education will preserve the common historical and cultural ties and we attach great importance to joint work in this regard, as the two fraternal countries have common advantages.”
He added, “The agreement on cooperation in the field of education signed between Qatar and Turkey in 2015 provides the legal basis for educational cooperation between the two countries.”
Ozar thanked Minister Al-Nuaimi for the support provided by Qatar to Turkish schools, which provide education for children of Turkish citizens living in Qatar, as well as for primary and secondary level students.
For his part, al-Naimi said that “Qatar will request Turkey’s assistance in pre-university vocational education, as Turkish assistance is needed in higher education.”
Afterwards, Ozar and his entourage proceeded to Lusail University, a public university in Qatar, where he met with Dr. Ali bin Fatais Al-Marri, Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees.
During the meeting, they discussed cooperation in future academic, scientific and organizational projects.
Ozar expressed his gratitude for the hospitality extended to Turkish students at Lusail University and his joy at the development of Turkish-Qatari relations, which are getting stronger day by day.
For his part, al-Marri expressed his delight to Minister Ozar, stressing that they are “ready to do everything necessary to strengthen cooperation for the future of the youth of the two countries.”
He noted that “students contribute to the strengthening of relations between the two countries and the main axis for strengthening relations between countries is culture and education.”
It is noteworthy that the Turkish government sent a delegation of Turkish students to Lusail University on a scholarship to communicate in Arabic and to strengthen Turkish-Qatari relations.
Ozar and his entourage then visited the Qatari-Turkish Joint Chiefs of Staff in Doha.
Ozar met with Turkish students studying at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels in Qatar at a dinner hosted at the residence of Turkish Ambassador to Qatar Mostafa Kokso in Doha.
Later on Tuesday evening, Ozar met with Qatari Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani before leaving for Turkey to discuss strengthening cultural ties between the two countries.
On Sunday evening, Ozar arrived in Qatar on a visit aimed at strengthening educational cooperation between Turkey and Qatar, enhancing the capacity of Turkish schools in Qatar, and assisting in the teaching and qualification of Turkish Arabic language teachers.