The 4th Syrian-Russian Joint Meeting started activities on Tuesday in Damascus to follow up on the International Conference on Return of Syrian Refugees and Displaced.
Within the framework of the meeting, several sessions, meetings and joint activities between the Syrian and Russian sides are being held at the Conferences Palace in Damascus and several other provinces to reach cooperation agreements in several areas and distribute humanitarian aid in several regions.
The activities of the three-day meeting include a joint session of the Syrian and Russian ministerial coordination bodies in the presence of representatives of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations at the Umayyad Palace of Conferences.
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The activities of the meeting will also include meetings in different provinces within the sectors of the economy, trade, higher education, education, health, communications, justice, culture, local administration, environment, energy, agriculture, agrarian reform, transport and industry, in addition to activities for distributing humanitarian aid and school books in several regions.
The International Conference on Return of Syrian Refugees was held in November of 2020, where its final statement affirmed Syria’s readiness to welcome its returning citizens to the homeland and continue efforts to provide them with decent living conditions.
The conference called on the international community to provide appropriate support to refugees and increase its contribution and support to Syria by implementing projects related to reconstruction, health and medical care, social services, and demining.
Scientific Cooperation Between Syrian and Russian Universities
Meetings on cooperation in the field of education were also held on the sidelines of the conference.
Al-Baath University in Homs signed a scientific cooperation agreement on Tuesday with the Saint Petersburg State University.
The agreement was signed during the delegation’s visit to the Russian Coordinating Body to the university.
The Russian delegation visited laboratories at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and was briefed on the laboratories there aimed at linking the two universities with joint scientific research in the reconstruction in Syria.
In a statement to reporters, the Reactor of al-Baath University, Dr. Abdul Basit al-Khatib, shed light to the importance of this visit, which comes within the framework of consolidating the scientific and cultural relations that link the two countries, referring to the need for developing the Syrian universities with new specializations through dispatching post-graduate students of the al-Baath University to study in the Russian universities.
Members of the delegation indicated that the Russian universities always seek to develop relations and scientific agreements in all fields with the Syrian side, as the two countries have had historical relations for decades.
Damascus University
Damascus University signed a cooperation agreement on Tuesday with the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the headquarters of the University.
That came on the sidelines of the 4th Syrian-Russian Joint Meeting to follow up on the International Conference on Return of Syrian Refugees and Displaced.
The agreement was signed by the Reactor of Damascus University, Dr. Muhammad Osama al-Jabban and Deputy Director of the Russian Institute, Dr. Natalia Sloveva.
The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage, particularly the archaeological one between the two countries, and to establish contacts between archeologists, researchers and museum workers to expand and boost scientific and cultural ties.
The agreement also aims to encourage contact between organizations, museums and institutions concerned in Syria and the Russian Federation to support the activities in the field of archeology and organize exhibitions, study courses, seminars and conferences and other events to develop scientific projects, educational programs and internship for students and academics, in addition to providing media support and joint assistance for official delegations to travel between countries.
According to the three-year agreement, the two parties shall work to exchange information on various events, legislative information, print and electronic media, and provide information about expected projects and archaeological activities.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
