Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 7 / Trend T.Hajiyev /
Baku marked the 180th anniversary of the Shusha Secondary School No. 1 this week.
Education Minister Misir Mardanov, who made a speech at a ceremony organized upon the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev, said it is an important historic event.
Mardanov read out a letter written by Aliyev to the staff of the school.
He also noted that Aliyev awarded the Tereggi Medal to Shusha Secondary School No. 1 teachers. One teacher received the "Honored Teacher" title for services in the field of education.
The minister added that a new school building will be constructed in the near future. Mardanov said the building will be transferred to a Baku school after Shusha's liberation from occupation.
Mardanov announced the names of the teachers who were awarded by the Education Ministry.
Chairman of the State Refugees and IDPs Committee Ali Hasanov said Shusha was not only a cultural, but also a scientific and educational center of Azerbaijan. He regretted the fact that the 180th anniversary of the school wasbeing celebrated so far away from Shusha.
A documentary about the school's history was also screen at the ceremony.
Today, Shusha is under Armenian occupation.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions.