Shafaq News – Damascus / Baghdad

Academic ties between Iraq and Syria continue to develop through joint education and research initiatives, a Syrian university official told Shafaq News on Sunday.

Marwan Al-Rai, head of the Ranking Office at Damascus University, said that academic collaboration has strengthened cultural and political ties while facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise across scientific fields. He added that joint programs are expanding to include faculty and student exchanges and collaborative research in areas such as humanities, engineering, and medicine, with results reflected in shared scientific publications.

The Ranking Office, he explained, regularly documents practical examples of this cooperation, including joint supervision of academic theses and participation in evaluating dissertations with several Iraqi universities.

Beyond academia, Iraq and Syria have also maintained cooperation in other sectors, including private business partnerships, trade fair participation in Damascus, and official talks on energy, water management, and oil transport through Syrian territory.