UAE envoy receives research delegation in Tashkent

The UAE’s ambassador to Uzbekistan has received a joint delegation from the Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, with talks focusing on expanding academic, cultural and research cooperation with Uzbek institutions.

Dr Saeed Matar Al Qamzi hosted the delegation at the UAE Embassy in Tashkent during its visit to Uzbekistan, the Emirates Scholar Center said. Mohammed Al Dhaheri, deputy ambassador and head of the embassy’s economic, political and media affairs section, also attended the meeting.

The delegation included Salem Omar Salem, director of ICESCO’s Regional Office in Sharjah; Dr Firas Habbal, president of the Emirates Scholar Center and a member of its board of trustees; and Dr Fawaz Habbal, the centre’s director-general and a board member.

Discussions examined opportunities to build links with universities, research organisations and other academic institutions in Uzbekistan, alongside initiatives intended to increase exchanges of expertise. The participants also considered cultural and knowledge projects designed to support cooperation between the UAE and Uzbekistan.

Al Qamzi welcomed the delegation and highlighted the breadth of relations between the UAE and Uzbekistan, saying cooperation continued to develop across several fields under the leadership of both countries. The embassy meeting placed particular emphasis on education, research and cultural engagement rather than announcing a specific new agreement.

The delegation’s programme in Uzbekistan is aimed at promoting Arab culture and widening Arabic-language education in Central and East Asia. Its agenda includes cooperation with academic and research bodies, scientific research, publishing and exchanges among specialists, according to the Emirates Scholar Center.

The Tashkent discussions follow a period of expanding institutional engagement involving ICESCO and Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s government and the organisation have been working under an action plan covering education, science, culture and tourism, while Uzbek authorities have also pursued joint projects connected with heritage, academic exchange and cultural preservation.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met ICESCO Director-General Salim M. AlMalik in July, when the two sides discussed restoration and digitisation of cultural monuments and manuscripts, international promotion of Uzbekistan’s heritage and further joint events. Uzbek authorities said an ICESCO office had opened in Tashkent earlier in the year and that an ICESCO Chair operates at the International Islamic Academy.

ICESCO and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation also launched a scholarship programme this year for students from the organisation’s member states. Its first phase offered five fully funded undergraduate scholarships at two Uzbek universities, covering areas including medicine, environmental management and environmental science.

The embassy discussions came as cultural and educational links have taken a more prominent place in ICESCO’s work with Uzbekistan. In March, ICESCO and Uzbekistan launched the scholarship initiative under a joint action plan signed with the Uzbek Foreign Ministry in Tashkent in May 2025. The programme was presented as a route for students from member countries to study at Uzbek higher-education institutions.

The cooperation discussed at the embassy also builds on ties between ICESCO’s Sharjah regional office and the Emirates Scholar Center. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in Abu Dhabi on September 16 and launched the International Journal of Islamic and Cultural Studies, a peer-reviewed publication in Arabic and English.

That agreement provides a framework for academic and research cooperation between the two organisations. An earlier partnership between the institutions had also identified knowledge exchange, joint research and academic collaboration as areas for coordinated work.

ICESCO, which has 53 member states, lists both the UAE and Uzbekistan among its members. Its activities span education, science, culture and heritage, providing an institutional channel for projects involving universities, researchers and public bodies across member countries.

Uzbekistan has separately expanded its formal cooperation with the organisation. The country’s International Islamic Academy signed a memorandum with ICESCO in July covering academic exchanges among lecturers and researchers, joint scientific studies, conferences, training programmes and digital educational resources. The arrangement also envisages work on Islamic civilisation, tolerance and intercultural dialogue.