His Excellency the President of Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Abdullah Bafail, received at his office in Al-Abdiyyah today the Consul General of the Republic of Ivory Coast, Sumaila Bamba, and Protocol Official at the Consulate, Dambily Mamadu Bashir. The meeting took place in the presence of Dr. Ahmad Babalghith, the Supervisor of the UQU Vice Presidency for Educational Affairs, and Dr. Hasan Bukhari, the Dean of the Institute of Arabic Language for Non-Native Speakers.

During the meeting, cordial conversations were exchanged and the areas of collaboration between the university, the consulate, and the universities of Ivory Coast were reviewed, shedding light on the educational course of the Ivory Coast students at the UQU.

While welcoming the visiting delegation, His Excellency the UQU President underlined that Umm Al-Qura University is one of the leading universities in the areas of Shari`ah, Islamic Studies and Arabic Language in the Saudi Kingdom. Moreover he pointed out that the UQU welcomes a number of Ivory Coast students, who study at the Institute of Arabic Language for Non-Native Speakers, the College of Da`wah and Fundamentals of Religion, the College of Shari`ah and Islamic Studies, and a number of other disciplines. Some undertake postgraduate studies as well.

His Excellency stated that the university provides its services to all members of the Muslim nation. This is through the scholarships offered in accordance with the directives of our wise government (may Allah support it), thereby realizing the aspirations of the Ministry of Education in serving the peoples of the Muslim world by offering them educational opportunities to learn various sciences and areas of knowledge in Saudi universities.

On his part, the Consul General of the Republic of Ivory Coast expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation to the UQU President for the warm reception and the care extended by the UQU to the Ivory Coast students, in particular. Moreover, he underlined that he is looking forward to strengthening cooperation between the university, the consulate, and universities of his country, and to monitoring the progress of the educational process of the Ivory Coast students at the university. He also lauded the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Ivory Coast in various fields, including the field of education.