Belarus, United Arab Emirates to develop cooperation in education

WAM – Belarus and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in education in Minsk on Friday, reported Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA).

The document was signed by Belarus Education Minister Igor Karpenko and UAE Minister of Education Hussain Al Hammadi.

"The memorandum creates the foundations for mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries. We also welcome ties between institutions of education, for example, universities. The minister visited the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Belarusian National Technical University and its Technopark. There is interest in collaborative research. There is a number of priorities that are of interest to the U.A.E. and Belarus, such as IT, engineering and technology," Igor Karpenko said.

He recalled that Belarus took part in WorldSkills International in Abu Dhabi 2017 and in Kazan in 2018. "We already have some ideas in what concerns cooperation in vocational training and certain proposals that we will discuss during today's talks. I think this visit will give impetus to the development of bilateral relations," the minister said. UAE citizens are not currently enrolled in institutions of higher learning in Belarus, but this option is not excluded. Belarusians can also get an opportunity to study in the UAE in the future. "If not for the full program, then for the master's or internship program, especially in what concerns the training of interpreters," Igor Karpenko added.

UAE Minister of Education Hussain Al Hammadi said he was especially pleased to visit Belarus. "Belarus is a very close state for us. We maintain close ties at the government level in various fields. We have visited a number of educational institutions in Belarus. We see prospects for our cooperation in the exchange of students, personnel, research and modern technologies. Education is the basis. When education evolves, all sectors of the economy grow too," Hussain Al Hammadi. "There is an agreement to set up a joint working group which will be responsible for development of cooperation in the field of education," he added.