Support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for student exchanges between Greek and Arab universities.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Anna Karamanou MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT President of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
To: Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. George Papandreou
Subject: Support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for student exchanges between Greek and Arab universities.	Athens, 19 May 2003

Dear Minister,

It has always been my belief that Greece is in a position to play a positive role in the rapprochement and cooperation between European and Arab countries, as its ties with both sides are bonds of cultural and civilizational proximity and understanding. In an effort to strengthen this approach, I invited ambassadors of Arab countries to our country for a dinner last summer, with the aim of discussing the relations between our countries and, in particular, the relationship between the Arab states and the European Union. We all agreed at that dinner on the need to enhance the dialogue between cultures in order to support peace and security in our region. That evening, I committed to exploring the issue of support from the Greek educational system for this effort to strengthen ties, by examining the possibility of promoting Arabic Studies at the university level in Greece.

After conducting relevant research, I recently revisited the issue and informed the ambassadors in a letter that there is coverage of this specific field of study in Greek universities and, most importantly, a very strong interest from young students. Special mention was made of the Department of Mediterranean Studies at the University of the Aegean, which offers the study of Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew studies. During my research, I was impressed by the highly encouraging finding that the interest in studying the peoples of the Middle East, their language, and culture is extremely strong among the youth of Greece. Despite being a border and relatively young university, the University of the Aegean, and especially the Department of Mediterranean Studies, has over 100 students per year. During classes, the rooms are full, which means that many students from across the country have chosen to go to Rhodes to study a challenging subject, without being certain that it will guarantee them professional success, as, for example, technical or economic studies might.

With these facts in mind, I would like to request your cooperation in strengthening the ties between the academic communities of Greece and the Arab countries, as well as between Greek students and Arab countries. An important step in this direction is the establishment of student exchanges between the Department of Mediterranean Studies and universities in Arab countries. In a meeting I had with the Rector of the University of the Aegean, Mr. Themistoklis Lekkas, he assured me of the strong interest of Greek students in exchanges, as well as the University’s intention to provide accommodation and meals for students from Arab countries coming to Greece.

Also, on Friday, May 16, I met in Rhodes with a group of students from the Department of Mediterranean Studies, who expressed a strong desire to attend summer courses at universities in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. I would therefore kindly ask you to support this effort by covering the expenses that students from both the University of the Aegean and the universities of Arab countries will incur. I would also ask you to take the necessary actions as soon as possible, as the academic year will be completed in a few weeks, and the upcoming summer period would be ideal for conducting the exchanges.

Looking forward to your positive response,

With deep respect,

Anna Karamanou