TASHKENT - Speaking at the opening of the first Israel-Uzbekistan International Summit of Academy and Sciences in Tashkent, Professor Eduard Yakubov, president of the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), said, “As a son of both Uzbekistan and Israel, I am trying to build bridges between the two countries.”
Yakubov, who studied in Tashkent and received his academic training there, said that one of the primary goals of the conference is to encourage and engender joint research between Uzbekistan and the State of Israel.
Pini Cohen, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of HIT, added that Israel is positioned to play a constructive role in medicine to help the people of Uzbekistan. Referring to Uzbekistan’s role in acting as a refuge for the Jewish people during World War II, Cohen said, “Because of what you did for the Jewish people, we have to give back to you, and the first area should be medicine.” Cohen also spoke of the two countries’ great potential in business and investment.
Israeli Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Mrs. Zehavit Ben-Hillel, noted that Israel and Uzbekistan are celebrating thirty years of diplomatic relations. “I cannot imagine a better event to commemorate this celebration by creating new things and enhancing ties between the two countries,” she said. “This conference is yet another sign of the developing relations between Israel and Uzbekistan. Connections between academia research and business strengthen the closeness between the countries.”
Ben-Hillel added that, in her view, the best way to bring nations and countries together is to create connections on every level, not only between governments and diplomats, but with people-to-people connections. Mrs. Makhmudova Feruza, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Israel, addressed the opening ceremony via video conference, and extended her best wishes for a fruitful and successful conference.
Professor Shavkat Ayupov, Director of the Institute of Mathematics, who received an award for his accomplishments in the field of mathematics at the opening ceremony, along with other leading mathematicians, pointed out that Professor Yakubov’s close ties to Uzbekistan have contributed significantly to the educational cooperation between technical institutions in Israel and Uzbekistan.
The conference is taking place in Uzbekistan from September 5-9 and will be hosted by universities in Tashkent, Bukhara, and Samarkand. Participants from universities in Israel and Uzbekistan will meet in sessions to discuss diverse aspects of international academic cooperation, the five-year goals of academic institutions, and highlights of recent scientific achievements.