Following the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Alzahra University and the University of Aleppo in Syria, International Academic Collaborations of Alzahra University hosted a ten-member delegation consisting of the President of Aleppo University, his assistants and professors on 8th-10th January 2024. In this regard, the meeting of the Chancellor of Alzahra University, Dr. Zahra Nazem Bekaee, along with Vice-Chancellors, heads of faculties, managers and professors of Alzahra University was held on Monday, January 8, 2024 at Sepideh Kashani Hall. At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Fakhri Sadat Hosseini, the director of International Academic Collaborations of Alzahra Universtity, after greeting the Syrian guests, invited the attendees to introduce themselves. In this meeting, Dr. Mohammadreza Asari, Vice-Chancellor for Administrative and Financial Affairs; Dr. Leila Samani, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs; Dr. Zainab Sadeghi, Vice-Chancellor for Cultural and Social Affairs; Dr. Elaheh Marandi, Vice-Chancellor for Education and Graduation Studies; Dr. Nadia Mahmoudi Khatir, Deputy Director of International Academic Collaborations; Dr. Bahareh Attaran, Head of Chancellor Office and Public Relations; Dr. Mahdi Saif Barghi, Director of the Performance Evaluation and Monitoring Center; Dr. Elaheh Panjeh Bashi; Dean of the Faculty of Arts; Dr. Maryam Banahan Qomi, Dean of Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology; Dr. Khadijah Mozafari, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics; Dr. Jafar Bagherinejad, Dean of Faculty of Engineering; Dr. Saeed Dehghanpour, Dean of Faculty of Chemistry; Dr. Roza Rahavi Ezzabadi, Dean of Faculty of Sports Sciences, and Dr. Ruqia Rostampour Maleki, Director of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature of Alzahra University, attended this meeting.
At first, Dr. Nazem Bekaee welcomed the Syrian guests from the University of Aleppo and expressed her happiness at the presence of the respected delegations of the University of Aleppo. She pointed to the common civilizational history between Iran and Syria and added: "From our point of view, Syria is a country with high potential that is the origin of many divine prophets. These civilizational, religious and cultural commonalities between the two countries mean that we can have cooperation with each other. The city of Aleppo is the city of knowledge, faith and science." She provided explanations about the structure of higher education in Iran. Further, Dr. Nazem Bekaee emphasized that Alzahra University is the only comprehensive university for women and girls. With its existing capacities, Alzahra University can provide the field for joint cooperation between the two universities. One of these research priorities is to solve climate problems in the region. She added: "In the West Asian region, we are facing problems such as water, energy, biological pollution, etc., which can be limited or solved through joint cooperation. To make this happen, we must rank our own indicators."
Afterwards, Dr. Hosseini, thanked Dr. Nazem Bekaee for her words and invited Dr. Maher Kerman, the President of Aleppo University, to deliver his speech. Dr. Kerman, after reciting the verses of the Holy Quran to honor the memory of the martyrs who defended the shrine, emphasized that both countries are in the same trench. Then, Dr. Kerman introduced the city of Aleppo and the effects of this war and planned destruction on the centers, ancient monuments and the Grand Mosque of Aleppo. In the following, Dr. Kerman mentioned the history of Aleppo University as one of the largest educational centers in Syria, which has faculties in various fields and various research centers. Dr. Kerman, while expressing his desire to expand cooperation with Iran, pointed out the importance of transferring experiences between the two universities. In the end, he expressed his gratitude to Dr. Nazem Bekaee, the president of Alzahra University and all those involved in organizing the meeting and international scientific workshops.
After showing the introduction clip of Alzahra University in Arabic and familiarizing the delegation with the university, Dr. Hosseini invited the Vice Chancellors of Alzahra University to submit proposals for cooperation. In this meeting, Dr. Mohammad Reza Asari proposed discussing the water and energy crisis in the region, conducting research and transferring experiences in these two areas, security and food security; Dr. Zainab Sadeghi, talked about holding camps and joint visits to prominent centers of the country, cultural events and competitions, and holding cultural courses both virtual and in person; Dr. Leila Samani suggested holding sports competitions, lifestyle workshops and joint teaching and research in the field of law and women's studies; And Dr. Elaheh Marandi, pointed out the admission of students in graduate studies, joint teaching of professors, virtual free education courses for professors and students of Aleppo University. In the end, the members of the Syrian delegation welcomed the proposals of cooperation and gave a souvenir gift to the President of Alzahra University.
After the meeting, the Aleppo delegation visited the university's facilities, such as the central library and art gallery.