Ilham Aliyev received Turkish minister of national education

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Minister of National Education of the Republic of Turkey Ziya Selcuk.

Welcoming the Turkish Minister, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Welcome! I am delighted to see you. I am sure your visit will be very successful and, as is the case in all other areas, our relations will develop more rapidly in the field of education.

As you know, the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are at the highest level, and there is not a single area where we do not cooperate. As two brotherly countries, we cooperate in all areas based on mutual respect and mutual interests. Education is also an essential part of our cooperation because, to raise the young generation and stay connected to each other, of course, significant steps must be taken in this area. In fact, these steps are being taken. I am confident that during your current visit, many important issues will be discussed and specific plans for our future cooperation will be drawn up.

A new era has begun in our country. After the second Karabakh war, a period of recovery and reconstruction began. I will also present you with a book depicting the destruction Armenia had inflicted upon us in the liberated lands. You will see the extent to which our lands have been devastated. A master plan for the cities is now being prepared, and schools will be built as part of these master plans. The foundation of a school destroyed by the Armenians in Shusha was laid this month. The school's groundbreaking ceremony, a gift offered by Turkey, will also be a part of my dear brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit.

We are currently carrying out stringent reforms in this area. Turkey's experience is significant for us. Additional proposals on education, improving the quality of education, and closer ties between young people from Turkey and Azerbaijan, should be discussed. After all, we have created a strong alliance for future generations to follow - alliance and brotherhood. They should be closely attached. I think various events should be held to that end – youth forums, joint educational programs and other events. I am sure that you will discuss these issues with your colleague during the visit.

Welcome again.

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Turkish Minister of National Education Ziya Selcuk said:

- Dear Mr. President. Thank you very much for receiving us and for allocating time. We have greetings of our President and the people of Turkey, and we are very excited to be here. We are here enjoying the Karabakh Victory, the one that has been inscribed in history. A thousand years later, your name will be praised by children; children will pronounce your name, the name of the people, the names of our martyred soldiers, Inshallah.

This is the greatest joy for all Turkish people who have taken to the streets, and we are delighted.

At the same time, there can be no problem between us regarding educational programs, the development of education, and the work to be done in the future. We will resolve them all. I wish not to go into the technical details of that with you. My colleague, my friend and I will do whatever is necessary. Don't worry. Your orders are sufficient for us. In this context, the protocol we signed on vocational education is currently being implemented. We will continue discussions about that today. Our interactions continue even at a higher level than official ones. We are doing everything together to speed up the process and work.

Other issues are also being addressed. In particular, your determination and support of the FETO have been essential to us. This also gives us immense happiness and joy. We are delighted about that. In addition, we will complete all the work m, solve all the issues together with our friends, and then report to you, Mr. President. Don't worry. We are at the forefront of this work, Mr. President.

I once again express my gratitude for being received.

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President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. I am happy that my efforts in vocational education continue. There is a great need for that. In particular, as I said, Azerbaijan is at the start of a great creative process now. The training of new qualified personnel is essential both in the liberated lands and throughout the country. Therefore, vocational schools should be established in the liberated lands according to the potential of those regions. Of course, we count on the Turkish side’s support.

I have already instructed that the subject of the second Karabakh war be included in history books in our educational programs, schools and universities. Our relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Education, are working on this issue to study our glorious history. The international media are still publishing false and distorted information about the second Karabakh war. We must convey the true story based on facts both to our citizens and the world. I do hope that this issue will be reflected in Turkish history books, too, especially given Turkey’s outstanding political and moral support for Azerbaijan since the early hours of the war. My dear brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made statements from the first minutes and from the first hours, saying that Turkey stood by Azerbaijan. This was of great moral and political significance. In 44 days, Azerbaijan restored justice, its territorial integrity and ended 30 years of occupation.

Therefore, our young generation, of course, must know history the way it is. While I was a student, we were studying distorted history. The leaders of the Dashnak-Bolshevik gangs, who shed the blood of the Azerbaijani people, were portrayed as heroes. When I was in school and university, I read these books, those fake history books. We learned the true history after gaining independence. Heroes were portrayed as enemies and enemies as heroes. Therefore, we, the people who lived in the Soviet Union – I was 30 years old when the Soviet Union collapsed and completed my education – we learned the harmful and fake history that was presented to us. Therefore, in the current environment, we must show our ancient past, as well as our modern history, the way it is, and we will work together in this area.

Ziya Selcuk: Inshallah.

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President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Turkish minister for the greetings of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and asked him to convey his greetings to the Turkish President.