Mikheil Chkhenkeli Discussed Future Cooperation Issues with the Ambassador of Israel
Mikheil Chkhenkeli, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, held an introductory meeting with Ran Gidor, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Georgia, where the parties discussed future cooperation issues between Georgia and Israel in the fields of education and culture.
During the meeting, the Minister emphasized the centuries-old friendship between Georgia and Israel and noted the importance of further deepening cooperation in higher education and science at the institutional level.
Mikheil Chkhenkeli provided the Israeli Ambassador with information about the world-class mega-project – Kutaisi International University, for the establishment of which former Prime Minister Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili and his family invested 1 billion euros.
According to the Minister, Kutaisi International University, which will commence operations from the 2020-21 academic year, is currently actively cooperating with universities and research centers in Europe, the USA, and Japan. With the aim of implementing joint educational programs at all levels of study, Mikheil Chkhenkeli welcomed cooperation with leading Israeli universities and the implementation of joint scientific research. In turn, Ran Gidor expressed readiness to cooperate with Georgia in this direction.
The meeting also touched upon the Hadron Therapy Center, which will be established on the basis of Kutaisi International University, where modern research in medical and nuclear physics will be carried out alongside the treatment of oncological diseases. The parties also discussed future prospects for the development of the center in cooperation with Israel. The Minister emphasized that the Hadron Therapy Center will become an international hub in the region in terms of diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases.
At the meeting, the parties also discussed cooperation in the fields of cultural heritage protection, rehabilitation, and restoration. According to the Minister, such projects will continue actively in the future.
At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador invited the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia to Israel, where they will discuss the details of cooperation with Kutaisi International University.
