On February, 22 within a networking session the Dean of International Relations at Al-Aqsa University, Dr. Nabil El Aila, and other representatives of International Relations at universities of the Gaza Strip met with the Counselor for Cultural Affairs of the French Consulate in Jerusalem Mr. Guillaume Robert. The meeting was conducted at the French Cultural Institute in Gaza which aimed at extending the horizons of cooperation and create new trends of development of higher education in the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, Dr. El Aila made a presentation about the Al-Aqsa university and highlighted the activities of the International Relations at A-Aqsa university and its cooperation with the EU universities. " the strong relationship between Al-Aqsa University and the French Consulate is a long-standing relationship since it is based on the academic and cultural cooperation between the two sides since the foundation of French Department at Al-Aqsa University which the university is characterized in this filed" he said.

Dr. El Aila emphasized that AQU needs to strengthen the academic relations with the academic sector in France and to make more agreements cooperation with French universities, which can open the horizons of partnerships in Erasmus+ projects and other kinds of joint projects. Moreover, "the cooperation with French universities will serve our students and staff to enhance their skills in French Language and increase their cultural awareness" he stated.

From his side, Mr. Guillaume Robert was pleased to meet with the representative of the universities in the Gaza Strip as he listened carefully to their interventions and initiatives and expressed a great desire to increase the interaction and cooperation between the consulate and these universities.