“The DAAD and Iran’s Science, Research and Technology Ministry have signed an agreement to expand scientific exchanges, but the German press has begun spreading propaganda to sabotage the agreement,” Deputy Science Minister for International Affairs Arsalan Qorbani told MNA on Saturday.
“The foreign universities acknowledge the importance and progress of the Iranian academic centers,” he added.
However, the U.S.-led political intervention and sanctions against Iran have hindered the accomplishment of the goals of collaboration between Iran and the foreign academic centers, Qorbani stated.
In September 15, Qorbani announced that Iran’s Science, Research and Technology Ministry, and the DAAD had signed a memorandum of understanding to expand academic relations.
According to the MOU, the DAAD, Germany’s major organization supporting international academic cooperation, agreed to consider Iran’s proposal to establish a DAAD branch in Tehran in the near future.
In addition, they had agreed to expand joint research projects and academic exchange programs based on the MOU.
The DAAD runs a collaborative program between an institute at the University of Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia and Iran’s University for Religious Denominations (URD) in Qom. The program started in 2010.
It also supervises another academic exchange program between the University of Potsdam’s Institute for Religious Studies (IRS) and the URD.
Despite the censures by the German press and other organizations in the country, the DAAD backed the academic cooperation projects with Iran.
“It is important to maintain the few existing channels of communication with Iran,” DAAD President Margret Wintermantel said in August.
MMS/YAW
MNA
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