The EURAS General Assembly Meeting was held at Istanbul Aydın University (IAU). During the meeting, university rectors and representatives from different countries gathered to discuss global education strategies, inter-university collaborations, and future projects. Topics such as student exchange programs, joint research projects, and innovative education solutions were discussed, emphasizing the commitment to expanding academic networks and enhancing education quality. Following the meeting, a cooperation protocol was signed between Istanbul Aydın University and the Tajikistan International Tourism and Entrepreneurship University, a member of EURAS.
Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University Rector Prof. Dr. Cafer Caferov also participated in the EURAS General Assembly Meeting. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın stated, “We were very pleased to host them at our university on the occasion of the EURAS General Assembly Meeting. We had valuable discussions to strengthen our bilateral collaborations and develop joint projects in education. We thank the rector for this meaningful visit and hope that academic collaborations between our two countries will be further enhanced.”
A gala dinner event was held prior to the General Assembly Meeting with the members of the Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS).
During the event, discussions were held regarding future projects and collaborations. The focus was on creating more student and academic exchange programs between universities, developing joint research projects, and advancing digital transformation in education. Furthermore, there was an exchange of ideas on contributing to society through social responsibility projects and encouraging innovation within universities.
The August Board Meeting of the Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS) was held. The meeting, chaired by EURAS President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, took significant decisions made on regional education strategies and inter-university collaboration. Subsequently, evaluations of ongoing projects and planning for future projects were conducted. There was also an exchange of ideas on the importance of sustaining contributions to the field of education.
On the fourth day of his visit to Azerbaijan, Istanbul Aydın University President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın participated in the “Seher’s Status” program on Space TV. During the program, they discussed the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan and the latest developments in education, sharing common visions and future perspectives. In this context, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın made the following remarks:
“Aiming for excellence in higher education, scientific research, and contributions to science, we visited Odlar Yurdu University, one of Azerbaijan’s leading universities internationally recognized. We had a productive meeting regarding educational collaborations with my dear friend, the Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmed Valiyev, and Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Samir Valiyev. We continue to take steps to further strengthen educational cooperation between the two countries. We extend our gratitude for their excellent hospitality. As Istanbul Aydın University, we have signed a comprehensive cooperation protocol with Azerbaijan Technical University, one of Azerbaijan’s leading universities. This partnership will open new horizons in education and research, contributing to mutual development through the sharing of knowledge and experience. We also thank Rector Prof. Dr. Vilayat Valiyev for his hospitality.”
Following the program, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın visited Odlar Yurdu University, one of Azerbaijan’s leading universities, where he had a meeting with the Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmed Valiyev and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Samir Valiyev to discuss educational collaborations and strengthening educational partnerships between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
A comprehensive cooperation protocol was signed between Azerbaijan Technical University, one of Azerbaijan’s leading universities, and Istanbul Aydın University. Expressing their aim to open new horizons in education and research fields and contribute to mutual development through knowledge and experience sharing, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, the President of IAÜ, thanked Prof. Dr. Vilayat Valiyav, the Rector of Azerbaijan Technical University, for their hospitality.
Subsequently, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın visited Khazar University, a member of the Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS), and met with the students. In his speech during the meeting, he highlighted the following points:
“Today, we came together with Khazar University students to address an important topic on innovation and leadership in education. Education is the cornerstone of society and the shaper of the future. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to emphasize innovative thinking and leadership qualities in education. Innovation is an indispensable tool for transformation and progress in education. With the discovery of new technologies and pedagogical approaches, more effective and diversified methods can be developed in the education process. It is inevitable to use innovative applications to capture the interest of our students and make the learning process more effective. However, the effective implementation of innovation is closely related to leadership. Leadership in education relies on a visionary perspective, bold decision-making, and a collaborative approach. Good leaders share their vision, motivate people, and give them courage. However, it must be remembered that success is not only individual but also team-based. A good leader encourages teamwork, allows everyone to utilize their strengths, and unites differences. Leadership in education is the art of ensuring this unity. We wish all our principals success on their challenging journey as educators and leaders, and we thank Principal Gönül Tahmezova of 7th High School for their wonderful hospitality.”
On the final day of his Azerbaijan visit, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın took significant steps towards strengthening educational and academic collaborations, engaging in various meetings in this context.
The President of EURAS & EURIE, Assoc. Mustafa Aydın, met with young entrepreneurs during the “Imagine Tomorrow 2024” International Entrepreneurship and Innovation Event. Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın shared knowledge and experiences with the young participants, completed project presentations, and awarded prizes to the successful entrepreneurs. In this context, the 1st prize was awarded to Some Carbon, the 2nd prize to Joysper, and the 3rd prize to the project named Sowec. The award for young entrepreneurs went to Ümraniye-Çamlıca-Kırşehir Pendik-Kağıthane BİL Schools.
During EURIE 2024, the President of EURAS and EURIE, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın, held meetings with representatives of universities from around the world. Initially meeting with the Romanian Delegation, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın engaged in discussions on academic and cultural collaborations, as well as student exchange programs with university rectors and administrators who came to Istanbul for the 9th Eurasian Higher Education Summit (EURIE) from countries including Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Morocco, and many more.
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın continued his discussions on academic and cultural collaborations with the delegation of university rectors and administrators from Iraq and Azerbaijan who attended EURIE 2024.
Furthermore, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın had a meeting with the delegation from Yunus Emre Institute, where discussions focused on potential collaborations to support scientific and cultural initiatives and build bridges between world cultures.
A meeting of Arab-Turkish Universities was held within the framework of the 9th Eurasian International Higher Education Summit. Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, the President of the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye (CoHE), met with the rectors of universities affiliated with the Association of Arab Universities and Turkish universities.
During the Arab-Turkish Universities meeting, there were discussions and exchanges of ideas to enhance collaboration between universities. Evaluations were made on new perspectives, and necessary planning was conducted for further cooperation.
The opening ceremony of the Eurasian Higher Education Summit (EURIE) 2024, founded and chaired by Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın, the President of the Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS), took place at Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center. The opening speech of the largest international education summit in Eurasia, featuring 62 panels and 156 speakers from 67 countries, was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, who is also the President of EURAS & EURIE.
Another speaker at the opening ceremony was Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye, who stated, “Universities play a key role in supporting economic development and addressing social challenges as incubators for innovation and entrepreneurship through accelerators, innovation centers, and entrepreneurship programs.”
Other speakers at the opening ceremony included Prof. Oliver Gunther, President of EDUC Europe; Dr. Fernando Leon García, President of IAUP; Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of AARU; Prof. Mamoun Mal-Debi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education in Jordan; Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera, Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education in the Philippines; Mustafa Gültepe, President of TIM; Kemal Çeber, Governor of Gaziantep; and Mahmut Gürcan, Deputy Minister of Trade.
The 9th edition of the summit brought together over 2,000 rectors, academicians, and entrepreneurs from Turkey as well as collaborative organizations from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The summit aims to continue promoting Turkey’s higher education sector globally, making it an attractive center and increasing academic collaborations in the field.
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın participated in “Azerbaijan-Türkiye Investment Forum”. The forum was held on 22 December 2023 with the participation of Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, Presidency of the Republic of the Türkiye Finance Office President Prof. Dr. Göksel Aşan, many other government and business representatives from Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
Within the scope of the forum, business connections between the two countries, the fields of investment and collaboration, technology, innovation and digitalization were evaluated. In addition, ideas on investment were exchanged between the stakeholders and how synergy could be created to encourage new investments in both countries were discussed.
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın said in his speech, “The 2024 Action Plan signed at the Azerbaijan-Turkey Investment Forum, which aims to further strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries, will greatly contribute to regional development works by increasing the trade and investment volume between the two countries, strengthening cooperation, supporting mutual investment opportunities and encouraging joint projects. I hope that all these developments will be beneficial for both countries.”
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın then visited Azerbaijan University of Languages in Baku. During his visit, he had a meeting on linguistics with the one of precious names of the philology, Rector Prof. Dr. Kamal Abdulla. Then, ideas about academic cooperation and joint projects between Istanbul Aydın University, Eurasian Universities Union and Azerbaijan Universities of Languages were exchanged. Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın presented his thanks for their hospitality to the Rector and his team and expressed his wishes for cooperation to continue increasingly.
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın also participated in the memorial program for Azerbaijani Turcologist Prof. Dr. Kamil Veli Nerimanoğlu who worked at IAU, is known for his important works in the field of the Turkish world and is an honorary member of Turkish Language Association.
Within the scope of his contacts, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın met with international student recruitment agents and made these important evaluations: “We had a very useful and result-oriented brainstorming which we discussed problems and solution offers of the agents play a significant role in the international market of Turkish higher education. Currently, more than 300 thousand international students are studying at our universities in Türkiye. While we show Turkish tolerance and hospitality to these students, we also provide that they have education and professions. At this point, the importance of agents is great. We would like to thank them for contributing to Turkish higher education and service exports.”
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın also met with IAU Azerbaijan alumni. Speaking at the dinner meeting Aydın said “Each of whom is special and precious my graduates, continuing existence of universities is under favour of you. Today, I am proud to be together with our graduates, each of whom works in important positions in Azerbaijan and I would like to thank all of you for your contributions to our university with your successful work.”
Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Aydın visited Azerbaijan. On the first day of his visit, he gave interviews to AZ TV (Azerbaijan Television) and ATV channels about collaborations between the two countries’ universities and new trends in education.
Then, a meeting on the fields and methods of collaboration with Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Education Development Fund President Elnur Nasibov and the board.
Then, the last meeting of the year titled “New Perspectives and Partnership Opportunities in Cross Border Education” of EURAS (Eurasian Universities Union) was held. The meeting was hosted by Bakü Higher Oil School Rector Prof. Dr. Elmar Gasimov. Next period activities and projects of EURAS and the organization will be held on 2024 February EURIE (Eurasia Higher Education Summit) organized by EURAS every year were discussed at the meeting.
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Istanbul Aydin University Chairman of the Board of Trustees / BIL Holding and BIL Education Institutions Chairman of the Board of Directors / Cyprus Science University Honorary President