Towards new partnerships in the Middle East and Southeast Asia

Signature renewing the Manusastra program framework agreement, November 2022 © Ambassade de France au Cambodge

Presidential mission to the Middle East (Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey)

At the end of October, an Inalco delegation, comprising Jean-François Huchet, President, Philippe Advani, President of the Inalco Foundation, Gilles Forlot, Delegate Vice-President for International Relations, Rima Sleiman, Professor of Modern Arabic Literature and Head of International Relations, and Chantal Verdeil, Professor of History of the Arab World and Director of the Master of Arab Studies, visited Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to initiate, develop or strengthen collaborations with several Middle Eastern universities and institutions.



Exchanges with their counterparts were mainly aimed at promoting the mobility of Master's students and strengthening scientific collaborations between lecturers and researchers. Other avenues for academic and scientific cooperation were also explored (organization of scientific events, exchanges of professors, development of courses and even joint diplomas, organization of a doctoral school).



Turkey, Istanbul (October 18-22): Galatasaray University; Marmara University and umifre IFEA.
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Kuwait (October 18-22) : Kuwait University (kulliyat al Adab); Gulf university for Science and Technology (GUST) and American University of Kuwait (AUK). Foundation President Advani also met with potential donors on site.



Jordan, Amman (October 22-25): University of Jordan; Institut français du Proche-Orient (IFPO Amman branch) and The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS). North Jordan, Irbid: Yarmouk University.



Lebanon, Beirut (October 25-28) : Université Saint-Joseph (USJ); American University of Beirut (AUB); Université du Saint-Esprit Kaslik (USEK) and IFPO (Beirut branch).



Following this mission, several inter-university agreements are in preparation.

Presidential mission to Southeast Asia (Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia)

In November 2022, Jean-François Huchet, President of Inalco and Gilles Forlot, Delegate Vice-President for International Relations, visited several Southeast Asian countries to renew several framework agreements with long-standing academic partners.



Singapore (November 8-12): meeting with two entities of the National University of Singapore, in the presence of Ms Mariana Losada, representative of Inalco, Sciences Po and Université Paris Cité in Singapore:

• NUS College, new "Elite College"

Exchanges focused on mobility opportunities between NUS College and Inalco, but above all on the Global Experience Program (Gex) set up within NUS College for their students to gain a month's preliminary international experience. L'Inalco was chosen as the Paris location for training Singaporean students (FLE, diplomacy, cultural activities) of this program open only in a few cities around the world, including two in Europe, Paris and Stockholm. Expected to be renewed every year, this program could open twice a year.

• Faculty of Arts and Social Science

The aim was to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and to add a rider concerning the mobility of Masters students, particularly in Chinese or Southeast Asian studies, to this prestigious university.
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Cambodia, Phnom Penh (November 12-16): with Ms Isabelle Léglise (DR CNRS, SeDyL, Inalco) and Mr Dara Non (MCF in the Asie du Sud-Est Pacifique (ASEP) department, Inalco):

• Royal University of Fine Arts (URBA) to renew the framework agreement of the international consortium Manusastra, initiated in 2014.

• Royal University of Phnom Penh (URPP) to discuss the sustainability of the Inter-University Research Center in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Cambodia - ChaS! (2020-2025), co-sponsored by UMR SeDyL.

• French Institute of Cambodia: Mr. Huchet, in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of France Université's International Relations Commission, delivered a plenary lecture at the Research Days held on November 14 and 15. He also signed the renewal of the framework agreement between France Universités and the Conference of Rectors of Cambodian Universities.

The mission to Southeast Asia ended on November 17 and 18 with a visit by Vice President RI to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur at the Universiti Malaya, to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), discuss the exchange program and research prospects.
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On the same dates, Jean-François Huchet took part in the official delegation of the French President visiting Thailand, in Bangkok as part of the APEC summit. Emilie Testard, MCF in Siamese language and literature, also represented Inalco in this delegation, as official interpreter to the President of the Republic. On this occasion, the institute was identified as a major player in academic and scientific partnerships between France and Thailand.
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