Minister of Education, Abbas Al-Halabi, welcomed on Wednesday the Romanian Ambassador to Lebanon, Radu Catalin Mardare, who congratulated his host on “the efforts he is making to carry out the great tasks entrusted to the Ministry in these circumstances,” expressing his interest in “participating with the Ministry in its plans and aspirations, especially since Lebanon and Romania have historical educational and university relations, and Romania receives a large number of Lebanese students at its universities, and there is a scholarship program that is ongoing.”

The ambassador referred to the “facilitations made for applying for scholarships online,” stressing his country’s interest in “Lebanese students continue to study and pursue specializations,” pointing out to a scholarship program at the doctoral level with research programs, hoping that these programs will continue.

For his part, the Minister of Education stressed “the importance of bilateral relations and cooperation with the Romanian side in university-related affairs, especially amid these difficult circumstances and an academic year full of economic, financial, and health challenges.”

“The spread of the pandemic has forced us to slightly extend the holidays, in order to expand the framework of vaccination and community immunization,” he pointed out.