Academic delegation from Poland concludes visit to Kurdistan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A three-person delegation of academics from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, returned to Poland after spending a few days in the Kurdistan Region.

The delegation included Prof. Janusz Dąbrowski, Dr. Barbara Pucelik, and Adam Sułek. It participated in the Cancer and Oncology Research Endeavour Symposium organized on May 19 by Salahaddin University and Tishk University.

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“The Jagiellonian University in Krakow - the oldest and highest-ranked Polish university - has a long and rich history of cooperation with universities from the Kurdistan Region,” the Office of the Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government to Poland said in a press statement.

“Academic cooperation is one of the most important areas of Polish-Kurdish relations. KRG Representation in Poland was the initiator and intermediary in many agreements concluded between universities from both countries.”

The Symposium CORE2 is the second conference in Kurdistan this year attended by scientists from Jagiellonian University, the office said. 

This month a delegation from the University of Szczecin also visited the Kurdistan Region. 

In turn, visits to Poland and the conclusion of other contracts are planned this year by delegations from two universities from the Kurdistan Region: the University of Duhok and the University of Cihan.

Ziyad Raoof, the KRG Representative in Poland, told Kurdistan 24 that the KRG is glad “that after two years of break caused by the pandemic, Polish-Kurdish academics have reinvigorated again and direct meetings of the delegations are taking place again.”

“The Jagiellonian University enjoys a special reputation in Kurdistan among Polish universities,” he said. “A group of Kurdish graduates of the Jagiellonian University, having obtained their masters and doctoral degrees, returned to Kurdistan, playing important roles in administration or at universities. And now they still support the development of Polish-Kurdish academic cooperation.”

Raoof said this gives him a lot of satisfaction since he had sought out the Jagiellonian University to establish cooperation with universities in the Kurdistan Region. 

As a result, in 2014, the Jagiellonian University concluded agreements with Salahaddin University, the University of Sulaimani, and the University of Duhok. 

“As a result, a group of Kurdish scientists received scholarships, there were many exchanges of delegations, the organization of joint conferences, and the publication of joint books,” he said.

“Today, the cooperation has extended to other universities from Poland, the Kurdistan Region, and, in my opinion, it has promising prospects,” he concluded.