Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council head meets Iranian minister on university cooperation

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The head of Iraq's Islamic Supreme Council, Sheikh Hamam Hamoudi, met in the capital with Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simayi Saraf to discuss the state of university education in both countries and long-term cooperation. The talks covered potential collaboration, sharing of expertise and student exchanges, according to a statement from the council. Hamoudi said building minds is the foundation for building the strength of the ummah, and stressed the need to develop creative and innovative young people with broad horizons. Hamoudi also pointed to what he described as the early vision of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the field of education, saying it had shaped the strength of the Islamic Republic. He called for the signing of partnership agreements between Iraqi and Iranian universities and the expansion of cultural and academic exchanges. Both sides agreed on the need to remove administrative barriers facing students and researchers between the two countries. No further details on the proposed agreements were released.