The management of the KBSU and the parliamentarians of the Republic of Turkey discussed the prospects for cooperation

The parliamentary delegation of the Great People’s Assembly of Turkey and members of the Association of Caucasian Entrepreneurs, as part of a working trip to the regions of the North Caucasus, made a friendly visit to the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov. Heading the delegation, chairman of the inter-parliamentary Russian-Turkish friendship group, member of the Turkish Parliament Murat Baibatur briefly described the purpose of the visit:

“Our journey across the Caucasus began last week. We took part in the celebrations dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Adygea at the invitation of Murat Kumpilov. Today we have come to the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic to meet with officials, deputies of the KBR Parliament, the leadership and students of the university, the business community of the republic in order to intensify bilateral relations. We also hope to meet with the leaders of the Caucasian business associations and businessmen to discuss and improve relations between the two countries, to see how relations can be developed and what can be done for this. Since the members of the delegation are of Circassian-Adyghe origin, our visit can be called not only business, but also ethno-cultural,” — said Murat Baibatur.

Turkish parliamentarians visited the History Museum of the main university of the republic, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary on October 12, 2022. The head of KBSU, professor Yuri Altudov personally told the guests about the history of the formation of the university, which is rightfully proud of its interesting and rich history. It was for the preservation of cultural heritage and the transfer of valuable information to the younger generation that the museum of the history of KBSU was created.

The conversation continued in the conference room of the academic council of the KBSU. Opening the meeting, the president of the International Circassian Association, a member of the board of trustees of the KBSU, Hauti Sohrokov, greeted the participants of the meeting and noted that assisting young foreign compatriots in obtaining higher and secondary vocational education in the universities of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is one of the priority tasks. He recalled that recently, with the support of the Gorchakov Foundation, a scientific and practical conference was held on Russian-Turkish relations in global geopolitical processes, all participants of which were unanimous in their desire to bring the two countries closer together.

Rector of KBSU, professor Yuri Altudov greeted the guests on behalf of the university staff and on his own behalf. He noted that the university, which has about 1,800 foreign students, pays great attention to the development of international relations, works closely with representatives of national diasporas to ensure comfortable living and effective education for foreign students. The preparatory department and the Higher School of International Education successfully operate at the university, where a number of programs are taught in English. Especially for representatives of the Adyghe diaspora living abroad, a program of teaching the Kabardian language and literature is being implemented.

“I am sure that today’s meeting will contribute to the expansion of productive contacts and ties, both in the areas of education and science, and in purely human relations. The only negative of this meeting is the time limit of the visit. The University turns 90 this year and we hope that your visit will become a significant element of historical events,” — said Yuri Altudov.

The great role of the university in the development of international relations at the educational, scientific and cultural levels was also noted by the chairman of the ICA, Hauti Sohrokov, he emphasized that the university hosts many large and significant events through the International Circassian Association, since the university is a major regional center of intercultural and business communication. During the conversation, parliamentarians and representatives of the Council for Foreign Economic Relations of Turkey congratulated the university staff on the 100th anniversary of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the 90th anniversary of the founding of KBSU.

The guests noted that all specialists who have been trained at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University acquire a worthy career in the medical, economic, engineering and technical fields, continue their educational and scientific careers, returning to the Republic of Turkey. The advanced direction that the university is developing, and in which foreign countries are interested, is technological entrepreneurship and it-technologies, here there are also good prospects for academic cooperation.

At the meeting, various aspects of interaction with the university in the educational, scientific, socio-cultural and entrepreneurial lines were considered and some problematic issues were identified. In particular, representatives of the Turkish side noted with regret that quotas for education in Russian educational institutions on a budgetary basis, which used to be allocated annually, have been noticeably reduced.

There was a request to assist in resolving this important issue, because the education of young people from among the Adyghe diaspora in the universities of the North Caucasus is a bridge between the Adyghe (Circassian) diaspora and their historical homeland. ICA Chairman Hauti Sohrokov assured that the association, together with the university, is actively searching for a solution to this issue and there is hope that the business community of the Adyghe diaspora abroad and in the republics of the North Caucasus will be involved in this process. Summing up, the meeting participants exchanged contacts and agreed to determine the topics and dates of new joint mutual visits in the near future.