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Türkiye and Malta signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to establish cooperation across various areas of education, with officials from both countries emphasizing the role of education in promoting peace amid ongoing global conflicts.
Turkish Education Minister Yusuf Tekin and his Maltese counterpart, Clifton Grima, formalized the agreement during a signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Education's Teachers' Room Conference Hall in Ankara.
Tekin said modern states exist to establish peace, human rights, democracy and justice, calling education "one of the most important sectors" in fulfilling that function.
"We need a system throughout the world that prioritizes peace, advises students, children and young people about peace, and trains children to make efforts to establish justice in the world," Tekin said, referencing the Russia-Ukraine war and what he described as Israel's genocide in Palestine.
The minister acknowledged that while positive developments in the world can be attributed to efforts in education, shortcomings in the sector also bear responsibility for negative outcomes.
"Just as we claim that the good things that exist in the world are thanks to education and our efforts as those involved in the education sector, we must also accept that the negative things stem from our deficiencies," Tekin said.
Tekin expressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in preserving world peace, which he said is often lacking in current times.
"The agreement we will sign here today is important both in terms of the cooperation of two countries that serve and try to serve world peace and the development of human rights in the world, and also a very important agreement in terms of the relationship of our education and training structures with each other," Tekin said.
Türkiye has been working to revise its education curriculum to serve humanity's common future, Tekin said, adding that the country seeks to share its accumulated knowledge as part of humanity's collective experience.
Grima expressed satisfaction with the visit and stressed that a well-functioning education system must be human-centered. He said the agreement aligns with Malta's 2050 education vision.
"Our position as a state on different wars is clear. First of all, our position as a country on the war in Ukraine is extremely clear. Also, as our Prime Minister has stated very clearly, our position on the tragedy in Palestine is clear and we have recognized the State of Palestine as a country," Grima said.
The Maltese education minister noted that Malta's education ecosystem serves as a model for countries worldwide and hosts students from many nations, including Palestine, Ukraine and Russia.
"Our aim is to open up concrete action that can provide benefit between both countries," Grima said. "We continue to expand, develop and grow our treasure of knowledge. We continue to establish and develop mutual respect, and we continue to develop opportunities for both our academic circles and our students."
Following the speeches, the two ministers signed the memorandum and exchanged gifts. The ceremony was attended by Turkish Deputy Education Minister Celile Eren Okten, General Director of European Union and Foreign Relations Unal Eryilmaz, members of the Maltese delegation, and Malta's Ambassador to Ankara, Marisa Farrugia.
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