site.btaEdirne's Trakya University Rector Speaks to BTA about Academic and Cultural Cooperation with Bulgaria

The leadership of Trakya University in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne sets great store by the institution's academic and scientific partnership with Bulgaria and the other Balkan nations. Its Rector, Mustafa Hatipler, told BTA in an interview that such cooperation is important for regional development.

On March 25, Edirne hosted a conference dubbed "Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills," which was part of a Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) series of discussions supported by the European Commission.

Hatipler noted that Trakya University is an active member of the Balkan Cities Cooperation Edirne Platform, founded by the Edirne governor, and of the Cross-border Cooperation Council for the Interreg-IPA Programme Bulgaria-Turkiye. According to him, cultural cooperation, cultural cohesion and the sharing of cultural values are central to cross-border cooperation under the Interreg-IPA Programme.

Asked to share his vision about Turkiye's future cooperation with Bulgaria, Hatipler said the ambition is to implement many more bilateral projects than now, and these projects should be comprehensive, large-scale and mutually beneficial.

"We want to step up the implementation of student and academic exchange programmes, particularly Erasmus+, which boost student mobility. We believe that this is the way to establish cultural exchange, get to know one another better and foster greater closeness between us – and we are working for it," the Rector said.

He and Bulgaria's Burgas Free University Rector Milen Baltov intend to organize joint conferences. One such conference will also involve a university in Malaysia, and there are plans to hold a session in Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, he said.

"Our purpose is to improve the quality of education. Overall, I want to emphasize the benefits of cross-border cooperation under the Interreg-IPA Programme Bulgaria-Turkiye, which contributes to mutual understanding and the sharing of cultural values between Turkiye and Bulgaria for the sake of mutual respect and empathy," Hatipler said.