Tiraspol, October 12./Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The Association of Universities of the Newest Independent States issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan's aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Representatives of the universities of Pridnestrovie, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh called for restoring the rights of Artsakh youth to receive education.
The text of the statement reads as follows:
In September of this year, grossly violating the ceasefire agreement and the agreement on the settlement of incidents, the Azerbaijani side launched a large-scale offensive along the entire contact line of the armed forces of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan using heavy equipment, artillery and military aircraft.
Azerbaijan's aggression against the NKR is accompanied by massive violations of the norms of international humanitarian law. In order to achieve military superiority, the Azerbaijani side deliberately fires not only the border positions of the NKR Defense Army, but also settlements located in the depths of the NKR territory, which led to numerous casualties among the civilian population.
We, members of the Association of Universities of the Newest Independent States – the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of South Ossetia, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, being supporters of an exclusively peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, condemning the new aggression against the peaceful population of Artsakh,
- we confirm that the priority task remains to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh, which has come under threat as a result of the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan;
-we believe that a new escalation of tension in the conflict zone is fraught with serious consequences for the entire region of the South Caucasus;
- we call on Azerbaijan to comply with the obligations for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the 1994 ceasefire agreement.
In this context, we consider it necessary to note that the peoples of the newest states, due to the constant threat to security, experience certain restrictions in the implementation of humanitarian rights, in particular, the right to education.
Based on the above, we call on the mediators of the OSCE Minsk Group and international organizations to adequately assess and peacefully resolve the situation that has arisen on the border of NKR and Azerbaijan.
On behalf of the Transnistrian State University named after T.G. Shevchenko, A.A. Tibilov South Ossetian State University, Abkhaz State University, we express our sincere support to the brotherly university – Artsakh State University.
Our member states of the Association have a lot in common. Since our inception, we attach great importance to the most urgent problems of schoolchildren and student youth. The focus of our attention is constantly on the issues of ensuring affordable and high-quality education, economic independence, social security, and preserving the health of young people. As a result of this work, today we have an invaluable reserve: an intellectually developed, patriotic-minded, spiritually mature and viable generation of young citizens of self-determined states.
The activities of the Association provide invaluable assistance to the youth of our countries in patriotic education, contribute to the preservation of traditions, the education of continuity and the development of the best experience of previous generations based on the primordial spiritual and moral values of our peoples. Orthodox Christian values are gaining more and more influence on the consciousness of young people, concepts such as “family”, “labor”, “spirituality”, “Fatherland” are reviving and acquiring a special meaning.
On behalf of more than 30 thousand students, teachers, associate professors and professors of universities of the Association, we call on Azerbaijan to end hostilities, move to the stage of peaceful settlement of the conflict and restore the rights of NKR youth to receive education.
