Syria-UNESCO discuss cooperation in scientific research
PARIS, (ST)- On the sidelines of the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, Syria’s Education Minister Imad al-Azeb and UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Shamila Nair-Bedouelle discussed on Saturday Syria-UNESCO cooperation in scientific research and in qualifying cadres for university and post-university education.
Earlier, during his meeting with UNESCO Deputy Director General Xing Qu, Al-Azeb affirmed Syria’s rejection of all attempts that aim at politicizing the work of UNESCO.
He noted that the attempt of the French government to block the entry visa of the Syrian government delegation in order to prevent it from taking part in the activities of the UNESCO conference is a violation of the Headquarters Agreement.
Qu, on his part, apologized for the incident, pointing out that the UNESCO had solved this problem and asked the French government to implement its obligations and give the Syrian delegation the entry visa in accordance with the Headquarters Agreement .
He expressed his pleasure over Syria’s participation in the conference and hailed Syria’s stance on the politicization of UNESCO decisions.
The 40th General Conference of UNESCO is currently held in Paris and will continue till November 27th. The conferees will adopt an international agreement to facilitate the recognition of higher education qualifications and free movement of students and teachers.
On Friday, al-Azeb submitted Syria’s national education plan to UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini and reviewed the Syrian government’s efforts to continue the educational process, rehabilitate the schools destroyed because of terrorism, accommodate all dropped-out students, improve the educational environment, develop curricula and to improve the abilities of the teaching staff.
During his meeting with UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture Minister Ernesto Ottone, al-Azeb stressed the need to work actively for recovering the Syrian antiquities which were stolen by terrorist groups and for stopping the illegal excavations being carried out by terrorists, affirming Syria’s readiness to cooperate with UNESCO experts in this regard.
During his meetings with representatives of Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, the Russian Federation, Ecuador, Venezuela and Portugal to the UNESCO, al-Azeb emphasized Syria’s keenness to comply with international agreements and with the rules of the international law and its conventions.
He pointed out that by participating in the conference, Syria is exercising its right as a founding member state of the international organization.
Hamda Mustafa