At a special ceremony held at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) campus, AUIB President, Dr. Bradley Cook, and the French Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Patrick Durel, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, officially launching a number of collaborative projects where the University and the French Embassy will jointly deliver French language courses and establish a French Diploma test center at AUIB’s Center of Excellence for Innovation and Development (CEID). The two parties will also work together to promote collaboration in teaching and research between AUIB and various French universities, collaborate in the organization of cultural events, and facilitate the mobility of AUIB and CEID students to France.
On the occasion, President Cook spoke of the “very meaningful and deep historic relationships between Iraq and France,” especially in the field of culture and education, expressing his enthusiasm for commencing the projects outlined in the signed Memorandum.
For his part, Ambassador Durel expressed his pleasure at visiting AUIB for the first time, hoping that he would have the chance to visit again. He commended the work already undertaken by the AUIB team and the French Embassy team on the joint projects envisaged in the Memorandum, serving to strengthen the relationships between AUIB, the French Institute of Iraq, and various French universities, thereby fostering academic collaboration and promoting the teaching of the French language in Iraq.