Scientific Diplomacy Supports Our Deep and Productive Relations with Romania; Romanian Delegation at University of Isfahan

On Wednesday 13 July 2022, University of Isfahan hosted the delegation led by the President of the Senate of the Transilvania University of Brașov, Prof Mircea Horia Țierean and the ambassador of Romania to the I.R. Iran, Ms. Mirela-Carmen Grecu. The members of the delegation had a meeting with the university president, vice-president and four deans of the faculties of the university to make steps towards the development of Romanian-Iranian relations.
Prof. Hossein Harsij, the president of University of Isfahan welcomed the delegation and presented the guests the university vision and strategies and its potentials for defining and developing productive collaborations with Transilvania University of Brașov. He addressed the simultaneous presence of the scientific and diplomatic delegations at University of Isfahan as a symbol of unity and scientific diplomacy. Prof. Harsij added: “In scientific diplomacy, cooperation between diplomats and faculties is a two-way relationship, and with the strengthening of scientific and international cooperation, we will witness the strengthening and development of political, cultural, social and economic cooperation”. Expressing gratitude to the Embassy of Romania in I.R.Iran, the president of University of Isfahan expressed his satisfaction with the 120-year-old relations of Iran and Romania and mentioned: “This is an indication of the deep relations between the two nations, and we hope that the relationship between the two governments will be further strengthened through scientific and academic cooperation”. Prof. Harsij clarified that University of Isfahan is currently considering two main programs; its community-oriented program is related to the third and fourth generation universities, and it means that the university tries to be effective and influential in solving the problems of the city, province, and the country and helps the country's policy makers in the areas of decision-making. He further stated that the second aspect of the university's program is civilization. Isfahan is known as the capital of Islamic culture and civilization, and Iran played an important role in the old Islamic civilization; therefore, it will play an important role in the modern Islamic civilization either. The president of University of Isfahan stated: “Our university has the necessary preparation to cooperate with Romanian universities in both programs”. While emphasized the strengthening of relations with Transylvania University, in a conversation with the Romanian ambassador in I.R. Iran, Prof. Harsij called for strengthening the relations of all universities in the country with Romanian universities and demanded the formation of committees between the University of Isfahan and the scientific and cultural secretary of the Romanian embassy to identify the subjects of cooperation between the two universities.
The president of the Senate of the Transilvania University of Brașov briefly presented the past of the University, its facts and figures, and potentials for cooperation with University of Isfahan. Prof. Țierean emphasized the scientific, educational and cultural exchange between the two universities and called for the establishment of Persian language learning center by University of Isfahan in Transilvania University of Brașov to enhance and support the exchange of faculties and students.
The ambassador of Romania to the I.R. Iran also emphasized on the progressive process of the development of relations with Iran. She also mentioned that the cooperation of Romanian universities with the Embassy of Romania in Iran has been very successful and that the relations have been close, friendly, creative, and educational. Ms. Grecu mentioned that it was the Embassy of Romania that promoted the establishment of connections between University of Isfahan and a number of Romanian higher education institutions including Transilvania University of Brașov. She emphasized “apart from that, we are also glad to inform that another university in Bocharest will establish its scientific collaborations with University of Isfahan soon and we welcome and support the establishment of Persian language learning center by University of Isfahan at Transilvania University of Brașov”.

 

 At the end of the meeting, both sides signed MoU on academic, scientific and cultural cooperation. The signed MOU has 19 cooperation strategies that, based on the capabilities of the two universities, provide good opportunities for scientific exchanges in all fields, including biology, chemistry, education, and mathematics.