Iran's scientific adviser to China and ATU President meet at ATU

Report by the Directorate for International Academic Cooperation–

To further expand the academic ties between Iranian and Chinese universities, Iran's scientific advisor to China, Dr Esmaeil Mehryar, visited ATU and met the president of Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU) on 8 April 2023.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr Abdollah Motamedi, ATU President, pointed to the university's academic and cultural cooperation with Chinese universities so far and emphasized the need to continue and expand the partnerships. He said: "Considering the Islamic Republic of Iran's approach to China and the country's position in Iran's international interactions, there is a priority to cooperate and enhance scientific diplomacy with Chinese universities."

He then referred to the teaching of the Chinese language at the undergraduate level at ATU and added: "We are currently suffering from a shortage of professors to continue teaching the Chinese language at higher levels. We are negotiating with the Chinese Embassy in Tehran to address the issue. Center of Chinese Research at ATU can also play a constructive role in enhancing the academic and political diplomacies between the two countries."

Professor Motamedi then stated we cooperate with Chinese universities in the fields of professor and student exchange, Persian language teaching, and conducting joint research projects. Moreover, we are also offering China-related topics and programmes at various divisions of the university.

ATU President concluded his speech by announcing that ATU is prepared to introduce qualified members to enjoy scholarships at Chinese universities and emphasized the university's interest in increasing the number of student exchange activities.

Dr Ismaeil Mehryar, I.R. Iran's scientific adviser to China, also maintained: "With the development of academic and international cooperation between Iranian and Chinese universities, we can have a more active role in the areas of student and faculty exchange, joint research projects, attracting international students, and increasing the number of student scholarships."