A Cooperation Protocol was signed between the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) and the International Student Associations Federation (UDEF).

The signing ceremony held at the MÜSİAD Head Office building was attended by MÜSİAD President Abdurrahman Kaan, UDEF Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Mehmet Ali Bolat, MÜSİAD Local High Board Chairman Ahmet Şekerli, Production and Trade Planning High Board Chairman Dr. Oktay Dede and Diplomatic Relations Committee Chairman Zeki Güvercin.

Under the agreement, the parties pledged to cooperate on matters such as organizing international student meetings, bringing international students to universities in Türkiye, and developing joint projects in the scientific, cultural, academic and social fields.

The protocol, which also covers areas such as the training of qualified students and employment, further envisages that foreign national students referred by UDEF will undertake internships at MÜSİAD member companies in Türkiye and abroad, and that job opportunities will be provided to the students.

It Will Make a Significant Contribution to Our Country's Brand and Prestige

Speaking at the signing ceremony, President Abdurrahman Kaan stated that as MÜSİAD they attach great importance to education and training activities. Recalling that they had previously signed cooperation protocols with Maarif Foundation, Ege University, Samsun 19 Mayıs University, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University and İstanbul Medipol University, Kaan noted that as MÜSİAD they would continue in the coming periods to operate within the triangle of academia, industry and the public sector.

Emphasizing that international students receiving their education in Türkiye will make a great contribution to our country's brand and prestige in the years ahead, Kaan pointed out that this will have positive political, economic and cultural repercussions. Kaan, who said that with the agreement they aim to help students gain experience in the business world and build networks, expressed his hope that the cooperation protocol would bring blessings to both institutions.

MÜSİAD Is One of Our Country's Most Important Flagships

Making statements after the signing ceremony, UDEF Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Mehmet Ali Bolat said that MÜSİAD ranks among the foremost capital platforms of our country. Stating that Türkiye today is a country opening up to the world politically, economically and culturally, Bolat assessed: “MÜSİAD is one of the flagships of this”.

Bolat, who also provided information about UDEF's founding, vision and mission, noted the following:

“UDEF is an important civil society organization founded in 2004 to look after the international students coming to our country. Today there are 178 thousand international students in our country. Together with the 65 associations within UDEF, we carry out this work with tens of thousands of our students. We see international students as an important bridge extending from our country to abroad in economic, cultural and social terms. For this reason, we want to combine MÜSİAD's strength at home and abroad with UDEF's organizational capability.

With the signatures we have put, we have set out on a fine initiative that will contribute to our country. Under the agreement, we want to combine the strengths and advantages of both sides, to ensure that international students maintain their ties with our country after they graduate and leave, and that our students contribute to our economy both while they are in our country and when they go to their own countries. We believe that MÜSİAD and UDEF will together bring about very fine organizations in terms of both commercial cooperation and cultural cooperation.”