At the conference “The Role of Universities in Balanced Regional Socio-Economic Development,” Rector Arben Hajrullahu stated that higher education institutions must learn to preserve humanity and humanism and avoid succumbing solely to uncontrolled dynamics, which may lead to short-term—but not necessarily sustainable—development.   

In the opening of the conference, organized by the Ministry of Regional Development and the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination (TIKA), with strategic partners including the University of Prishtina and Türkiye’s Gazi University, Rector Hajrullahu highlighted that a cooperation agreement had been signed a day earlier between these two leading universities of Kosovo and Türkiye. 

For Rector Hajrullahu, both historically and today, universities are “centers where thinking is trained and developed, and as a result of this human reflection, all technological advancements occur,” including artificial intelligence, after which nothing remains the same, even for universities. 

Alongside Rector Hajrullahu, other attendees addressed the conference with remarks, including Gazi University Rector Uğur Ünal, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Kosovo Sabri Tunç Angılı, Acting Minister of Regional Development Fikrim Damka, and Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti. 

The conference continued with discussion panels addressing the impact of universities on innovation, cooperation models between universities, ministries, and municipalities, and cultural-historical cooperation for regional development.