Azerbaijan will provide support for the construction and repair of destroyed or damaged schools in the Syrian Arab Republic.
The Ministry of Science and Education announced that an “Agreement on Strategic Partnership for the Restoration of Educational Infrastructure in the Syrian Arab Republic between the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Education of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” was signed at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, with the participation of Emin Amrullayev, Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Dr. Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko, Minister of Education of the Syrian Arab Republic, and Dr. Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO.
According to the Agreement, for the purpose of supporting the restoration of educational infrastructure in the Syrian Arab Republic by the Republic of Azerbaijan, the construction of approximately 10 new school buildings and the major repair of approximately 100 damaged schools will be carried out.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev noted that the Republic of Azerbaijan attaches special importance to expanding educational opportunities and contributing to the development of educational infrastructure in the Islamic world within the framework of international cooperation. In this regard, the Minister emphasized the significance of the initiative aimed at restoring educational infrastructure in the Syrian Arab Republic with the support of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Minister stated that this initiative will serve to create a safe, modern, and high-quality educational environment for children and youth in the Syrian Arab Republic.
In his speech, ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik emphasized that the signed Agreement will make a significant contribution to the restoration of educational infrastructure in Syria, and at the same time, will serve to further strengthen cooperation and solidarity among Islamic world countries.
Member of the Milli Majlis Elman Nasirov stated in a declaration to Modern.az – that Mr. President Ilham Aliyev has identified the expansion of relations with the Arab world and Muslim countries as one of the main directions of his foreign policy course:
“It is no coincidence that Mr. President declared 2017 the Year of Islamic Solidarity. In that year, the IV Islamic Solidarity Games were held.
Azerbaijan's relations with both member countries of the League of Arab States and states within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are being dynamically developed.
At the same time, during its chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan developed relations with the majority of Muslim countries that are members of this organization, in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
It is true that there were serious obstacles to the development of our relations with Syria. This was because the previous government in Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad , pursued a policy directed towards Armenia, and this policy was unacceptable to Azerbaijan. During that period, there could be no talk of developing relations with Syria. Our relations were experiencing a critical phase”.
Elman Nasirov stated that during the tenure of the current President Ahmed al-Shaarani, Azerbaijan–Syria relations have begun to develop rapidly:
“Azerbaijan even contributes to the issue of Syria's gas supply. Azerbaijani gas is now delivered to Syria via Turkey and plays an important role in providing the population with gas and electricity.
It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan supports the operation of schools in the friendly Syrian state. Financial assistance is allocated in this direction. All of this serves the development of relations between the two countries.
Azerbaijan is remembered for the support it provided during Syria's difficult times, and the Syrian people will never forget this.
Today, Azerbaijan's support is clearly visible in Syria in the areas of gas supply, increasing employment, school operations, and humanitarian aid. This is also an indicator of Azerbaijan's contribution to Islamic solidarity and the role it plays in the Muslim world”.
The deputy stated that we are a Muslim country and, within our capabilities, always serve to strengthen Muslim unity and Islamic solidarity:
“As a logical component of this policy, we are interested in developing relations with Syria and contribute in this direction. The Syrian authorities also highly appreciate this, and it is now unequivocally declared that Azerbaijan–Syria relations have broad prospects. Cooperation in the fields of education and science is envisaged to continue. This indicates that our relations in the humanitarian sphere have begun to develop and strong foundations are being formed.
It may be possible for Syrian students to pursue higher education in Azerbaijan. Many of our universities have extensive potential and experience in this field. All of this indicates that bilateral relations have broad development potential in the areas of economy, transport, security, humanitarian affairs, education, culture, and science”.
