Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is exploring higher education cooperation with Turkmenistan in student and lecturer exchanges, joint research, and scholarships, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology said on Saturday.
The ministry's Secretary General Togar Mangihut Simatupang said Indonesia is open to building academic partnerships that include student exchanges, collaborative research, and scholarship opportunities for Turkmen students.
He highlighted Indonesia's interest in cooperating in agriculture and medicine — fields where Turkmenistan has strong expertise — and said the ministry is ready to draft a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the plan.
Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Malaysia, Muhammetnyyaz Mashalov, said that Indonensia and Turkmenistan share close ties based on similar cultural, religious, and value systems.
He underlined education as a key area to strengthen bilateral relations and foster positive economic and social outcomes.
Mashalov also encouraged academic cooperation to help address global challenges aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as poverty reduction, gender equality, and climate action.
"We are ready to expand educational cooperation with Indonesia and provide direct support in this important area. The two countries can also draft a memorandum of understanding," he said.
Both sides agreed to increase the number of Turkmen students in Indonesia and open wider opportunities for Indonesian students to study in Turkmenistan.
They also discussed boosting student and lecturer exchanges, joint supervision of doctoral programs, and promoting Indonesia's Developing Countries Partnership (KNB) scholarships to Turkmen students.
The ministry said it plans to continue the discussions online and through formal cooperation documents to expand Indonesian universities' educational diplomacy and partnerships in Central Asia.
