Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

During the 3rd international scientific Assembly of Iran and the Arab World held on November 11th in Tunisia, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad was unanimously chosen as the host of the 4th assembly of Iran and Arab-world universities in 2018.In the closing ceremony of this assembly, Dr. Mohammad Kafi, the President of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, underlined the importance of developing cultural and academic relations between Iran and the Arab world and considered these relations as “eliminating tension-creating approaches between Iran and the Arab world”. Dr. Kafi stated that Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is prepared to share its experiences in different areas of knowledge, especially teaching Persian language. He reiterated that “Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is ready to present online resources and e-learning courses of Persian language to Arab-world universities”.In the final proclamation of this assembly, the presidents of Iranian and Arab-world universities presented a positive evaluation of the atmosphere at this two-day assembly and expressed satisfaction with the alignment of attitudes, viewpoints, and objectives. The members underlined the necessity for the periodical holding of this assembly and pointed to the shared cultural capitals of Iran and the Arab world. The proclamation reads, “Knowledge is a humanitarian and universal inheritance which is above religious and ethnic differences, it provides the ground for the exchange of thoughts, comparison of viewpoints, and it also creates the necessary preliminaries for peaceful coexistence”.Iranian and Arab academics also emphasized that the people of Iran and Arab countries have to get familiar with each other’s culture and beliefs. They also urged the authorities of the two sides to change the false images presented by many self-interested media outlets and some politicians for creating division and barriers to the cultural relations between the two sides. Participants in this international assembly also pointed to the necessity for exchanging scientific knowledge, especially in human sciences, between Iran and Arab-world universities, holding academic dialogues among Muslim world countries, and reviving shared academic inheritance through conducting research studies and publishing the outputs.

The participants at this assembly also stated that Persian and Arabic languages have to be expanded in Iran and the Arab world and the two sides have to establish more collaborations in translation-related areas since the translation is a facilitating tool for the exchange of cultures and civilizations.Subsequently, Iranian and Arab academics agreed on conducting mutual research projects between Iranian and Arab universities and research centers in different areas of knowledge, providing the opportunity for more relations among researchers, inventors, and innovators, and establishing an Iranian-Arab research center for conducting mutual research projects.Other agreements between Iranian and Arab academics at this assembly were to exchange academic journals, books, and magazines, holding mutual meetings on different academic topics, exchanging the experiences of professors, lecturers and researchers, sending out professors to academic centers of the other side and exchanging educational and administrative experiences, exchanging students, and holding competitions for academic, literary and intellectual products in order to encourage more publications and innovations.Based on this proclamation, the participants agreed that Ferdowsi University of Mashhad would host this assembly in 2018. The 3rd international scientific Assembly of Iran and the Arab World started work in Tunisia on November 11 and lasted for two days. Overall, 20 Arab and Iranian members participated in this two-day assembly.

The main topics discussed at this assembly were the importance of academic cooperation between Iran and the Arab world, opportunities, and challenges of academic relations between the two sides and how to encourage mutual academic publications between Iranian and Arab researchers.The heads and deputies of 11 Iranian universities and their counterparts from Arab universities in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq attended this two-day assembly, which was held in a cooperation by the Permanent Secretariat of International Cultural Dialogues at Culture and Islamic Communications Organization, Cultural Council of the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in Tunisia, and Manouba University in Tunisia. Also, six new universities from the Arab world became members of this assembly.