Dr. Bahr Al-Uloom: We aspire to develop academic relations between the institute and French universities.
The French ambassador: France needs Iraqis just as much as Iraq needs to develop its relations with France.
On his first tour outside the capital, Baghdad, the French Ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Durel, visited the Al-Alamein Institute for Graduate Studies on Monday, December 8, 2025. He expressed his country's readiness to expand relations with Iraq in all fields, including the scientific and academic side. He was received by His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Bahr Al-Uloom, President of the Bahr Al-Uloom Charitable Foundation, Professor Dr. Zaid Adnan Al-Akeeli, Dean of the Al-Alamein Institute for Graduate Studies, Mr. Haider Bahr Al-Uloom, Director of the Bahr Al-Uloom Charitable Foundation, the Dean's assistants for administrative and scientific affairs, and the heads of the Public and Private Law and Political Science departments.
His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Bahr Al-Uloom, after welcoming the visiting delegation, presented an overview of the Bahr Al-Uloom Foundation and its various branches, including the Al-Alamein Institute for Graduate Studies, the Bahr Al-Uloom Forum for Dialogue, the Al-Alamein Center for Environmental Studies, Climate Change and Water, the Bahr Al-Uloom Award for Creativity, and the Fatima Medical Center. He focused on the experience of the Al-Alamein Institute for Graduate Studies, the first and only private institute in Iraq concerned with graduate studies, explaining that it represents a microcosm of Iraq and includes all components of the Iraqi people. He pointed out that 40 to 50% of the institute's students are government employees, and they study topics that attempt to address problems in their fields of work. Dr. Bahr Al-Uloom stressed the importance of supporting academic relations between the institute and French universities, considering that the matter requires effort from His Excellency the Ambassador.
For his part, the ambassador thanked His Excellency Dr. Bahr Al-Uloom for the warm welcome and hospitality, stressing his keenness to develop and expand Iraqi-French relations in all fields, especially in the scientific and research field, indicating that he is interested in cooperation between the Al-Alamein Institute and French universities, and is ready to revitalize and expand cooperation between the two sides in scientific and academic fields, stressing by saying, “You need us and we need you, and we have the will and determination to activate and expand joint cooperation,” noting that the French side wants specific and clear projects on which cooperation can be based.
During the meeting, Mr. Haider Bahr Al-Uloom, Director of the Bahr Al-Uloom Charitable Foundation, spoke, expressing his hope for expanding relations between the two peoples and countries. Professor Dr. Zaid Adnan Al-Akeeli also spoke about the institute, its activities, scientific and research efforts, and its success in writing 10 theses and dissertations in English. The heads of departments and assistant deans also spoke about the institute and its activities, and its interest in relations with French academic institutions, especially legal ones, calling for intensifying scientific and research cooperation with French universities.
Afterwards, the French Ambassador toured the Alamein Institute, its scientific departments, classrooms and its large library, and then gave a lecture to the institute’s master’s and doctoral students.
