Islamabad, November 4,2026: Pakistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in higher education, Urdu language teaching, curriculum development and institutional linkages.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar and Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan Atadjan Movlamov at the HEC Secretariat in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The discussions focused on a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad, and the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages in Ashgabat.
Under the proposed arrangement, Urdu language teachers would be provided to the Turkmen institution to promote the teaching of Urdu and strengthen academic cooperation between the two countries.
Both sides also discussed a proposed MoU between Arkadag Islamic University and the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), following the recent visit of former Mufti of Turkmenistan Yalkap Hojagulyyev to Pakistan.
Chairman HEC reaffirmed the Commission’s full support for facilitating collaboration between NUML and other Pakistani higher education institutions and their Turkmen counterparts.
He emphasized the importance of strengthening institutional cooperation and creating more opportunities for academic exchange, particularly in Urdu language teaching, curriculum development and academic partnerships.
Both sides expressed their commitment to promoting educational, religious, scholarly and cultural cooperation.
They also reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkmenistan through enhanced academic engagement and institutional collaboration.
