Syria and India have reopened the Syrian-Indian Center of Excellence for the Next Generation in Information Technology.
The center, which stopped working immediately after its establishment 8 years ago, resumed its work today at the headquarters of the National Authority for Network Services to allow Syrian trainers and trainees to benefit from the courses that will be held in the areas of cybersecurity, software engineering and testing, and network security.
Indian support for a whole year through experts
The Syrian Minister of Communications and Technology, Eng. Iyad al-Khatib, said during the opening of the center, in a statement to reporters: “The reopening of this center with its new look, new management and modern equipment, represents the most telling message of victory that we are on the ground and victory is ours despite what terrorism is doing,” adding that “the opening of this center will have Positive results that will be reflected in the telecommunications and programming sector in Syria through the quality courses that we will conduct at discounted prices so that they are mainly directed to young people and students who want to learn programming languages (information security – cybersecurity..etc) and our Indian friends will provide all cooperation and support in the first year of Through the experts who are with us on the ground.”
Minister Al-Khatib added: “The sanctions will have no effect as long as we have friends, and our friends in India are the best of friends and they have proven this on the ground by reopening this center through an agreement that has been in place since 2019 and approved in 2020 and we started working with Our friends in India are experts in this field, and the process of supplying equipment has begun for those who want to learn programming languages.”
Singh Kanyal: Syria is a center of information technology
For his part, the Indian Ambassador in Damascus Mahinder Singh Kanyal said: “It is a great and important day on which the Center of Excellence – Next Generation in the Informatics field was handed over. This center will make Syria a center for information technology and a leading country in this field in the coming years. Several programs have been identified. By the Syrian government for students of information technology in many fields.
He added, “The Center of Excellence is a symbol of the strong and friendly relations with Syria and is a symbol of these relations that have been tested through time and throughout history, and India will remain committed to providing Syria with all the support in the field of technology, support for capacity building and support for human resources management in Syria.”
Speaking during the opening of the center, the Indian ambassador said: “The opening of the center is a testament and evidence of the strong, time-tested relations between India and Syria. Accordingly, they will contribute to rebuilding and building a strong cultural bridge between our two friendly countries, and I hope that the Center of Excellence will contribute to making Syria a leading country in the field of information technology in the region in the coming years and provide and present many economic strengths in the field of technology.”
Susan: The truest expression of friendship
Syrian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Susan, explained in a special statement to Sputnik on the sidelines of the opening of the center that “the opening of the Syrian-Indian Center of Excellence represents a new step and a new indicator for strengthening the friendly relations between the two countries, and this is a natural thing, as Syria and India have deep-rooted historical relations.”
He added: “The importance of this step comes in this particular circumstance in the reconstruction phase, and you know the importance of this area in order to launch development and reconstruction projects in Syria.”
Regarding the importance of this step in cooperation between Syria and India in the next stage in terms of international openness to Syria, Susan said: “The atmosphere has changed and you will see more breakthroughs and openings on Syria that will deepen and widen in the coming days.”
On the importance of opening the center, Susan said: “This day is one of the days of Syrian-Indian friendship, and reactivating the work of the Syrian-Indian Center of Excellence for Information Technology is the truest expression of the deep-rooted historical friendship between Syria and India, and it is also a continuation of India’s positions in support of Syria regarding the terrorist aggression that I was exposed to it during the lean years that passed without return.”
And he added, “India we have strong relations with, and the areas of cooperation with it are wide, especially in this field because it is the field of the times. They are known for being at the forefront of the developed countries in this field and India is the number one country in the field of software. We thank the friendly government of India for its firm and supportive stances to Syria and for all that it has provided during the difficult years that Syria has gone through. We always look forward to further developing our relations in all fields. “.
High Level Courses and C DAC Certificates
Director of the Syrian-Indian Center of Excellence for Information Technology, Engineer Iyad Darwish, explained in a special statement to Sputnik that “the importance of the step is to renew the center with its new generation. And educational means, in addition to providing expertise by bringing in three Indian trained experts who will train at the center for a year, and there is an action plan in this field for the coming years.”
He added: “What distinguishes the center today with its current courses is that its high-level courses qualify the trainees at the center to go directly to the labor market, and the second advantage is the certificates that will be presented to the trainees from India’s C DAC”, the world-famous center in the field of advanced computing.
Qualifying high competencies in the field of it and developing human resources
For his part, the Director of the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Dr. Maher Suleiman, said in a statement to Sputnik that “the center has great importance in the reconstruction phase, as it qualifies cadres who possess high competence in this very important field,” adding that “human resources development is the most important point because it is considered An important step in the reconstruction phase to rehabilitate cadres, which is the main objective of the opening of the center, which was created in 2010 in its first version and contributed to the preparation of a group of trainers who train cadres. Currently, trainers will be trained and prepared in addition to the trainees who are preparing to enter the labor market directly.”
It is noteworthy that the center was established in 2010 with a contribution from the Indian government based on what was decided during the state visit paid by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Republic of India in June 2008.