Damascus-SANA
On the sidelines of the fourth joint Syrian-Russian meeting to follow up on the international conference on the return of Syrian refugees and displaced persons, the Russian Presidential Affairs Department held today a Syrian-Russian scientific-practical conference under the title: (Syria and Russia..Cultural and Educational Foundations of Cooperation) at the Dama Rose Hotel in Damascus.
In a speech at the opening of the conference, Deputy Director of the Presidency of the Russian Federation Lakina Olga Yuryevna explained that the Syrian-Russian bilateral relations have a long history and must be developed, especially since the first teachers of the Arabic language in Russia were from Syria, noting that the Russian language was introduced into the Syrian curricula as a second foreign language. During the 2014-2015 school year, all educational supplies are provided, and Syrians participate in various competitions, such as the Russian Language Olympiad.
Yuryevna pointed to the cooperation between Moscow State University and Damascus University for academic exchange, holding various joint scientific events and various courses, and organizing workshops and conferences to talk about the culture and traditions of the two peoples, indicating that a new project for humanitarian cooperation has been launched and coordination and cooperation between educational institutions is taking place within the framework of national support from the Government of the Russian Federation.
In her turn, the Minister of Culture, Dr. Lubana Mushawah, stressed in her speech that the meeting that is being held in Syria with Russian friends is to strengthen the bonds of cooperation between the two friendly peoples and to raise cultural and educational relations to the level of political relations, explaining that the agreements signed with the Russian side are a reflection of the sincere will to enhance cooperation between Syria and Russia. The Federation noted the support of the Russian side in the restoration of the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra.
Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Natalie Shkirova explained that with the aim of enhancing future cooperation, the opportunity has been provided for the possibility of opening a Russian university or its branch in Syria and defining the foundations of that cooperation, whereby every university in Syria has a partner from a Russian university to exchange student training, educational experiences, certificates and joint forums.
Director of Secondary School No. 1699 of the Russian Presidential Affairs Administration Mikhail Popov presented a report on teaching the Russian language in Syrian schools and introducing Syrian students to Russian culture, indicating that in 2021 a cooperation agreement was signed between the school affiliated with the Presidential Affairs Administration in Russia and the Martyr Basil al-Assad High School for Outstanding Students in Damascus To develop cultural and educational activities and enhance educational exchange between the two countries.
Natalia Solovyova, Director of the Archeology Rescue Center at the Institute of History and Material Culture, the Russian Academy of Sciences responsible for the project to restore the Arc de Triomphe in Palmyra, Natalia Solovyova, spoke about the archaeological arch in Palmyra as a symbol of Syria and a prominent architectural landmark in the world, which was targeted by the terrorist organization (ISIS) in 2015, indicating that after the liberation of The city from terrorism The work of the first phase of the arch restoration project was started in 2021 in cooperation between the Center and the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in Syria and the Syrian Trust for Development, and this stage was completed.
Solovyova indicated that the restoration project is in the process of working on the second phase, which is characterized by technical difficulty, as it requires a lot of effort and expertise, and this is what the Russian side will present alongside the expertise and Syrian national hands.
Director of the Russian Presidential Library Yildsen in St. Petersburg Oleg Schorr spoke about the library and its remote access centers for information resources, its research and educational activities, and its role in the professional development of competencies, stimulating the use of information resources in it and creating a professional environment.
Daria Barigymar, Senior Scientific Associate of the Presidential Library, Yildsen, showed that the library's diverse and reliable materials provide users with the opportunity and possibilities to get acquainted comprehensively with the foundations of the national history of Russia with foreign and Arab countries.
On the work of the Presidential Library / Ludsen, the chief scientific officer of the library, Alexei Voromovich, presented a report on the work of the library, in which he explained that the 1699 school organized the Russian Olympiad for the electronic world, including books on the truth and image of Russian history and works of Russian writers from literature, history and constitution of the Russian Federation, books about Russia and countries of the world and pages Russian-Syrian Encyclopedia.
General Director of Al-Assad National Library, Iyad Murshid, presented an overview of the library as a guide to civilization and progress, as it was established to preserve information and the national intellectual and media heritage of the Syrian state, pointing out that the library has turned into a documentation center for collecting theses and master’s theses for students in Syria.
In turn, Deputy Director of the Historical Faculty at Moscow State University, Dr. Historical Sciences Aksana Solukuya, spoke about the university and its educational projects and its most important role in reproducing historical memory and its goal in building society with the most important foundations of patriotism, friendship and harmony among peoples.
Professor of Psychological and Academic Sciences at Moscow State University, Professor Sergey Kondivovich explained that the conference demonstrated the cultural, educational and intellectual capacity of the participants, as important agreements were signed that allow for later cooperation between the Syrian and Russian sides.
The conference included the signing of an agreement to strengthen cooperation relations between the Al-Assad National Library and the Presidential Library in the Russian Federation, and a cooperation agreement between Damascus University and Moscow State University, in addition to honoring the student Batoul Youssef, the first winner of the Russian Olympiad.
The conference was attended by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Bassam Ibrahim, Deputy Defense Minister General Mahmoud Shawa, Director of Damascus University Dr. Muhammad Osama Al-Jabban, and for the Russian side, Deputy Minister of Health, the Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Syria, the Special Representative of the Russian President to develop relations with Syria, Alexander Yefimov.
Rehab Ali and Bushra Barhoum
Follow Sana's news on Telegram https://t.me/SyrianArabNewsAgency
