October 4, 2025

President of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) Erol Özvar attended the opening ceremony of the UNI-DOKAP International Student Camp organized by the Union of Universities in the DOKAP Region (UNI-DOKAP) in Amasya.

The event, themed “Different Languages, One Heart: UNI-DOKAP Amasya International Student Camp,” is being held at Borabay Lake Nature Park with the participation of more than 400 international students from 42 countries.

In his remarks, Özvar underlined that the Turkish higher education system and universities attach great importance to internationalization and have made remarkable progress in this field.

Referring to the “March for Palestine” organized by UNI-DOKAP, Özvar said that it brought together both national and international students, noting, “Our international students studying at our universities have also united as one heart for Gaza.”

Emphasizing that all universities strive to serve both Turkish and international students in the best possible way, Özvar called for restraint and fairness in discussions concerning students, stating that criticism should not exceed reasonable limits.

The opening ceremony featured a Qur’an recitation by Palestinian student Abubakar Mustafa, followed by a speech by Rita Eid, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Ondokuz Mayıs University. The program concluded with a concert by Prof. Fatih Koca from Ankara University Faculty of Theology. The ceremony was attended by Amasya Governor Önder Bakan, rectors of UNI-DOKAP member universities, academics, students, and other guests.

After the ceremony, Özvar held a meeting with the rectors of UNI-DOKAP member universities. Prior to the meeting, Amasya University’s Archery Club performed a demonstration of archery practice dedicated to Gaza, in which Özvar also participated by shooting an arrow.