Kyrgyz university to boast joint program with Turkey

A university in Turkey's Black Sea region is forging academic ties with a school in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

On Wednesday, Seyit Ayin, the rector of Turkey's Kastamonu University, signed a pact with Aybek Upenov, his counterpart at Talas State University in Kyrgyzstan, to establish a joint Kyrgyz-Turkish department.

Under the agreement, Kastamonu University will open faculties at Talas University based on the needs of Kyrgyzstan, a Turkic nation with ethnic and linguistic ties to Turkey.

Students who have completed part of a four-year education at Talas, and another part at Kastamonu, will be provided a dual degree but a single certificate accredited by both universities.

"As the main objective of the faculty, we will focus on those specializations which have the greatest demand for the development of Kyrgyzstan," Aydin said, mentioning agriculture, economics, and engineering.

He also said Osh State University in southern Kyrgyzstan also features a joint Kyrgyz-Turk Department.

Upenov, for his part, said that the graduates of the program will get a diploma accredited in both Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.

"We're aiming for the educational quality of Turkish university standards," Upenov said.

He also stressed that all resources and facilities for Kyrgyz students in the department will be equally available for the Turkish students.

Marat Murataliev, governor of the northwestern Kyrgyz city of Talas, praised the news.

"We hope to carry Kastamonu University's scholarly success to Kyrgyzstan and the region through Talas University," he said.