Asia Centre’s delegation visited the best university in Egypt

Last week, in cooperation with Ingrid Amer, the Estonian Ambassador to Egypt, the delegation of the University of Tartu visited the American University in Cairo and Cairo University. The delegation also met with several local NGOs who focus on interfaith dialogue, the development of women's and disabled people's rights and development cooperation. The university's delegation included Elo Süld, Head of the Asia Centre and Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the School of Theology and Religious Studies, and Helen Haas, Coordinator of Middle Eastern Affairs at the Asia Centre.

The American University in Cairo is the top university in the Middle East, with strengths in political and economic studies as well as engineering, medical and environmental sciences. According to Elo Süld, the university carries the best knowledge of the region and is the best possible partner for getting to know and understand the Middle East.

Several possibilities for cooperation were seen at the meeting with the American University in Cairo. The main teaching-related topic was how to support teaching Arabic at the University of Tartu. Regarding the development of research cooperation, there was interest in sports sciences, pedagogy, religious studies, digital humanities, and cultural sciences. Both the American University in Cairo and the University of Tartu emphasised their desire to foster student exchange.