The statement, released on Sunday, indicated that during an official visit to Syria, Özcan and Syrian officials held talks on cooperating to develop programs between universities in the two countries. Within the scope of academic cooperation, the officials agreed to conduct joint efforts regarding undergraduate and graduate programs as well as student and teacher exchange programs, to open Turkish literature departments -- currently only available at Aleppo University -- in other universities in Syria and to staff these departments with lecturers from Turkey and to open Arab language and literature departments in Turkey with the support of lecturers from Syria.
The delegation led by Özcan included YÖK executive board member Professor Yekta Saraç and the rectors of Gaziantep, Çukurova, Harran, İnönü, Şırnak, Mardin Artuklu, Muş Alpaslan, Tunceli, Kilis 7 Aralık, Mustafa Kemal and Adıyaman universities. The statement also noted that agreements of cooperation were signed between Turkish universities and the Damascus, Aleppo, Tishreen, Al-Baath and Al-Furat universities in Syria and decisions were made to send students from Syria to Turkey with state grants. The statement also indicated that there were plans to continue cooperation efforts in the forthcoming months.
