Turkish Ambassador in Israel visits TAU to foster academic relations between countries

Turkish Ambassador in Israel Sakir Ozkan Torunlar visited Tel Aviv University last month to support the cooperation between academic institutions from the two countries, TAU has announced.

Torunlar was accompanied by the second secretary of the embassy Ozgur Erkan, and met with TAU's President, Prof. Ariel Porat, Vice President of International, Prof. Milette Shamir, and Vice President for Resource Development, Amos Elad.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Prof. Ariel Porat, President of TAU, who graciously hosted me and my colleague,” the ambassador said. “On our part, the meeting was very fruitful, especially in terms of exploring the ways and means of furthering academic collaboration between TAU and Turkish universities.”

During the joint meeting, the parties discussed how to enhance the collaboration on research and mutual projects, encourage student and academic staff exchanges between TAU and Turkish universities, and reestablish academic, business, and cultural cooperation. These efforts were initiated through the "Academic Bridge Initiative," launched in February 2022 in Istanbul.

“TAU is dedicated to facilitating collaborative research as well as student and faculty exchange with Turkey’s top academic institutions,” Shamir said. “Ambassador Torunlar's visit has provided a platform for meaningful discussions about present and future partnerships, ones that, beyond academic value, will strengthen the links that have connected our two nations for centuries.”

The Turkish diplomats also met with the Dean of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Noam Eliaz, and the Vice Dean for Research and Industry Relations, Prof. Zohar Yosibash, regarding a joint program that studies Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems with Turkish universities.

Following that meeting, they also sat with the Vice Dean for Innovation and Pre-Clinical Research, Prof. Ronen Zaidel-Bar, and Prof. Chen Luxenburg from the Faculty of Medicine to discuss collaboration in medical research between TAU and Turkey.

Additionally, Torunlar had the opportunity to meet Turkish students who are studying at TAU’s Lowy International School.

“Proudly remembering late David Ben-Gurion and late Moshe Sharett, the first two Prime Ministers of the State of Israel, who were the graduates of Turkish universities in the early 20th century, the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv strives to continue its close collaboration with TAU vis-a-vis the exchange of academics and students between the two countries, with the aim of benefitting from the experience of each other,” the ambassador concluded.

The article was written in cooperation with Tel Aviv University.