December 2, 2025

President of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) Erol Özvar held a series of meetings in the capital city of Dushanbe during his visit to Tajikistan as part of the delegation led by Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), Prof. Numan Kurtulmuş.

Özvar met with Tajikistan’s Minister of Education and Science, Rahim Hamro Saidzoda, at the ministry building. During the meeting, opportunities to enhance cooperation in the field of higher education between the two countries were evaluated.

Emphasizing the importance of the forthcoming memorandum of understanding to be signed between Türkiye and Tajikistan in the field of higher education, Özvar reminded participants that the process was first discussed in Dushanbe in 2021 and that a draft document was submitted to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs the same year.

Drawing attention to the need to accelerate the long-standing negotiations on the memorandum, Özvar expressed his belief that their meeting would contribute positively to the process.

“A significant window of opportunity lies ahead for cooperation”

Özvar noted that while the negotiation process for the memorandum continues, it would be beneficial to explore bilateral cooperation opportunities between universities. Highlighting their readiness to develop joint programs and projects with Tajikistani universities, he continued:

“Turkish universities possess strong capacity in many fields including medicine, engineering, economics, and agriculture. In recent years, we have launched numerous new programs—particularly in artificial intelligence and digital-based fields. A significant window of opportunity for cooperation lies ahead.

As the Council of Higher Education, we are ready to do our part to foster collaboration between Tajik universities and Türkiye’s leading universities in the areas you identify. We see considerable potential for cooperation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

Özvar also remarked that partnerships between universities of the two countries have begun to yield tangible outcomes and noted their support for ongoing discussions between the University of Health Sciences and the Abuali Ibn Sina State Medical University.

“TÖMER instructors could provide Turkish-language education in Tajikistan”

Addressing cultural collaboration during the meeting, Özvar stated that—should the Tajik Ministry of Education and Science approve—Turkish-language education could be offered at a Tajik university by instructors from TÖMER (Turkish Language Teaching Centers). He noted that such an arrangement would help institutionalize Turkish-language teaching at the academic level.

A Turkish university to become a “sister university”

On the second day of his visit to Dushanbe, Özvar visited the Tajik National University and met with its Rector, Emomali Saifiddin Nasriddinzoda, to discuss opportunities for strengthening academic partnerships between universities of the two countries. During the meeting, a mutual verbal agreement was reached to establish a “sister university” relationship with a university from Türkiye.

As part of his program, Özvar also toured the museum dedicated to President Emomali Rahmon, where he received information about Tajikistan’s educational history and cultural heritage, and signed the university’s guestbook.