During a working visit to Türkiye, Gulnoza Ismoilova, Executive Director of the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation, met with Abdulhadi Turus, President of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).

According to Abdulhadi Turus, Türkiye annually allocates up to 230 grants to citizens of Uzbekistan through its flagship state scholarship program, “Türkiye Bursları”. The grants cover tuition fees, accommodation, insurance, and airfare.

Following negotiations, the parties agreed to increase the quota to 250 next year. This is an essential step in strengthening educational cooperation between the two countries.

Representatives of the Foundation will be included in the annual interview commission for the “Türkiye Bursları” program in Uzbekistan.

The parties expressed their readiness to develop a joint educational program in line with the priorities of the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation. In addition, issues related to establishing student exchange programs between leading higher education institutions of Uzbekistan and Türkiye were discussed. Special attention will be given to students researching the history, language, and culture of Turkic peoples.

An agreement was reached with YTB to allocate additional quotas for the three-month “Kotib ota” program for professors, lecturers, and civil servants from Uzbekistan, as well as for the “Higher Education Management” program for representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

Ms. Ismoilova proposed creating a program for the study of the Uzbek language and culture at Turkish universities, modeled after the “Oxford Uzbek Studies” program. The agency supported the idea and expressed interest in jointly developing the project.

Norgul Abduraimova, UzA