Details added: first version posted on 10:48
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.9
Trend:
The educational infrastructure of Azerbaijan was seriously damaged during the period of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, which lasted for about 30 years, Trend reports referring to the statement of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding September 9 - the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks.
"More than 1,000 educational institutions and kindergartens were completely destroyed," the ministry said.
The statement says that Azerbaijan, which is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol to it, as well as the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims dated 1949, strongly and consistently supports international efforts aimed at ensuring the effective protection of the rights and improvement of the situation of children suffering from armed conflicts.
“Hundreds of thousands of girls and boys who became refugees and internally displaced persons, under the influence of serious problems from the military aggression of Armenia, exercised their right to education. Educational institutions on Azerbaijani territory were repeatedly shelled by the Armenian Armed Forces, and schoolchildren and school personnel, at risk, participated in the educational process,” the statement of the MFA reads.
“During the 44-day Armenia-Azerbaijan second Karabakh war (from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020), Armenia, grossly violating the norms of international humanitarian law, deliberately targeted students. As a result, 54 schools were destroyed, 10 schoolchildren aged 6-15 were killed, and 16 were injured,” the statement said.
“Having resolved the conflict, Azerbaijan focused on the safe study of children and the use of their potential. Currently, Azerbaijan is rebuilding schools in the liberated territories,” the ministry noted.
Celebrating September 9, the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks, together with the world community, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry emphasizes once again that Armenia is responsible for the war crimes committed against Azerbaijani schoolchildren and notes the importance of respecting the right to a safe education of children.
Azerbaijan demands Armenia to comply with international obligations to investigate numerous facts of war crimes committed by its Armed Forces and bring to justice those responsible for these crimes, the statement said.