The second edition of the Iraq-Iran Flag Week kicked off in Karbala with the participation of more than 100 universities from the two countries.

In his speech during the opening ceremony in the presence of the representative of the parliamentary education committee, the governor of Karbala, the head of its council, university presidents, directors general and cultural advisors, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr Naim Al-Abboudi said that the second edition of the Iraq-Iran Flag Week will move forward with details in terms of exchange of scientists, professors and researchers, implementation of research and technological projects, cultural exchange, scholarships, holding specialised workshops, stimulating technical and professional cooperation and creating joint gardens for science and technology.

He pointed out that the Iraqi government and its development institutions, especially the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, have achieved positive indicators in the field of internationalisation of education and the field of sustainable development and showed Iraq’s name in important international ranks thanks to the keen interest in scientific research and the rise of the growth index in global publishing, noting at the same time that the path of quality education in Iraqi university institutions has given a guarantee to reach international accreditation and make the study programmes and degrees awarded at a high level of scientific sobriety.

For his part, Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology Dr Hossein Simaei Sarraf expressed his thanks for the high level of organisation of the joint science week, pointing to the importance of scientific cooperation between the universities of the two countries and strengthening their position in global rankings.

The two sides signed an executive programme between the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, which included several themes, including:

▪️Joint cooperation between the two parties in the scholarship programme for undergraduate studies