With the presence of His Excellency Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, in the capital Erbil, the international conference on the Yazidi genocide was held, organized by the University of Kurdistan – Erbil.
In the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Edrees Mohammed Tahir Harki, the rector of the university, along with a number of members of the university council, participated. Among the attendees were Mir Tahsin Bag, the prince of the Yazidis, Baba Sheikh, a number of ministers, the governor of Erbil, high-ranking officials of the Kurdistan Region, political figures, consuls and diplomats of various countries, academics, researchers from inside and outside the region, and religious scholars.
It was decided that during the two-day conference, a number of researches and panels would be presented, addressing the Yazidi genocide committed by ISIS, the commitments of the Iraqi government toward compensating the victims, and several other related issues.
Under the supervision and presence of prof.Dr. Edrees Mohammed Tahir Herki, the rector of Erbil Polytechnic University, along with the vice rectors, several university council members, department heads, and lecturers, the closing ceremony of the summer training for students from member countries of the Association of Arab Universities was held at our university.
At the beginning of the ceremony, prof.Dr. Edrees Mohammed Tahir Herki gave a speech in which he expressed his happiness that this year the university successfully hosted a number of students from different countries who visited for summer training.Dr. Edrees mentioned that Erbil Polytechnic University was one of the first universities to support this project, which aimed at student exchange among the member universities of the Arab Universities Association. He said the program played an important role in promoting cultural understanding and exchange between nations.
The rector hoped that the students benefited from the scientific subjects during the training, became familiar with the nature and society of Kurdistan, and saw the peaceful coexistence of different religious and ethnic groups, which had always been supported by the political leadership and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The rector of the university pointed out that many universities had planned to accept more students, but the financial crisis limited their capacity in this regard.
In another part of his speech, the rector referred to the proud history of the Kurdish people’s struggle. He stated that today, July 31, also marks the anniversary of the Anfal campaign against the Barzani people by the Ba’ath regime, during which thousands of Barzanis were forcibly disappeared from their homeland.He said that remembering such tragedies strengthens our national spirit and patriotism, reminding us to protect our land and achievements. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing history repeating itself, as the Iraqi government continues to put pressure on the Kurdistan Region and denies our constitutional rights.
At the end of his speech, the rector thanked the college and institute directors, the supervising teachers, and the summer training committee for their important role in the successful implementation of the program. He stated that they had presented a good example, raised the reputation of our university, and showed the students the true hospitality of Kurdistan. He added, “You should be proud of yourselves.”
Later, students from Al-Najah National University, Arab American University in Palestine, the Non-Governmental University of Palestine, Palestine Technical University, Al-Saeed University in Yemen, Jiblah University for Medical and Health Sciences in Yemen, and Sahar University in Oman each expressed their gratitude to Erbil Polytechnic University for offering the summer training opportunity and presented a short summary of their experience.
Finally, certificates of participation were awarded to the students from the member universities of the Association of Arab Universities and to the supervising teachers at our university’s colleges and institutes. At the end, the visiting students presented plaques of appreciation to the rector of Erbil Polytechnic University.
As part of the steps toward internationalizing Erbil Polytechnic University (EPU), every year our university, in coordination with the Association of Arab Universities, gives summer training opportunities to students from Arab countries. This year too, a group of students from universities in Oman and Palestine came to our university for summer training.
After EPU took part in the 30th Arab Training Forum, now five students from Sohar University in Oman and three students from An-Najah, Al-Istiqlal, and the American University in Palestine came to Kurdistan for 21 days to do their summer training at our university.
before their training started, assist prof.Dr. Botan Majid Asinger, the university vice Rector for Scientific and Higher Education Affairs, welcomed the students and met with them.
In the meeting,assist .prof Dr. Abdullah Omar Yaseen (head of International Relations) and Dr. Dler Abdullah Ahmad (Director of General Registration) were also present. Dr. Botan Majid, on behalf of EPU, welcomed the students and gave them a short talk about the history of the university, the city of Erbil, and the Kurdistan Region. He also wished that, during their stay, they not only benefit academically but also learn about Kurdish history and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The students, in return, expressed their thanks to EPU for giving them the chance to train in Erbil. They also gave a short presentation about their own universities and hoped to benefit from the experience of EPU teachers and to get to know Kurdistan and its areas better.
It is worth mentioning that in the next few days, more students from other Arab countries will come to Kurdistan for the same purpose and will stay at EPU for 21 days. At the same time, some of our university students will also travel to several Arab countries for summer training.
After being invited by the Union of Mediterranean Universities, a team from Erbil Polytechnic University, led by Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhammed Tahir Herki the Rector of the Erbil Polytechnic Universty and Dr. Talib Mohammed Sharif Omar, Head of Mergasor Technical Institute, took part in the Union’s annual meeting.
As part of the meeting held in Italy, an agreement was signed between Erbil Polytechnic University and the University of Calabria.
