Turkey and Syria sign higher education cooperation agreement

The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) of Turkey and the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research have signed a memorandum of understanding to restructure academic operations in northern Syria. Under the agreement, several academic units currently operating under Gaziantep University—including the Afrin Faculty of Education, Azez Faculty of Islamic Sciences, El-Bab Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, and Jarablus Vocational School—will be transferred to the University of Aleppo.

Additionally, students at the Çobanbey Faculty of Medicine and Çobanbey Vocational School of Health Services, which are affiliated with the University of Health Sciences, will continue their education at equivalent higher education institutions within Syria. The agreement aims to ensure continuity in education, protect the rights of graduates, and maintain the status of academic and administrative staff.

A major component of this strategic cooperation is the planned establishment of an international Syria-Turkey University in Damascus, intended to foster scientific and academic ties between the two nations.