On July 19, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with participants of the III Shusha Global Media Forum in Khankendi, Azerbaijan. During the meeting, President Aliyev answered questions from journalists, including several from journalist Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja.
In his response, the President of Azerbaijan expressed his gratitude to Uzbekistan for its support.
“We have always valued the support of our brothers from Uzbekistan. As you know, the first contribution to the restoration of Karabakh was made by Uzbekistan. At the initiative of the esteemed President Shavkat Miromonovich, a school for 960 students, named after the great son of the Uzbek people, Mirza Ulugh Beg, was built in the city of Fuzuli. Shavkat Miromonovich and I jointly inaugurated this school in Fuzuli,” said Ilham Aliyev.
The President noted that he had recently visited the city and that the school already has over 500 students.
“Considering that the return of former refugees to Fuzuli is still in its early stages, such a significant number of children are already studying there. We greatly appreciate this sincere gesture of brotherhood from the President of Uzbekistan, providing assistance to Azerbaijan in the restoration of its territories. As you mentioned, the Summit of Heads of State of the Organization for Economic Cooperation was recently held here in Khankendi. It took place in this very building, the new Congress Center, right in this room. This holds immense symbolic significance, indicating that life is returning here, including to Khankendi,” the President stated.
In April 2021, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during an informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States in a video conference format, expressed Uzbekistan’s readiness to contribute to the restoration of cultural and educational sites in Nagorno-Karabakh. At that time, plans were announced to construct a school in the region as a gift from Uzbekistan.
On the second day of President Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Azerbaijan in August 2023, the leaders of the two countries, along with their spouses, visited Fuzuli and participated in the opening ceremony of the school built as a gift from Uzbekistan.
School No. 1 named after Mirzo Ulugh Beg includes 40 classrooms, 6 laboratories, 2 computer rooms, 5 specialized study rooms, an assembly hall, a sports hall, a dining room, and a library. The grounds also feature a football field, recreation areas, event spaces, and running tracks.