Kyrgyzstan Finances Construction of Secondary School in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh Region

Kyrgyzstan has joined the extensive reconstruction efforts in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, after a series of mega initiatives were launched by the Baku government in 2020.

On Thursday, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his Kyrgyzstan counterpart Sadyr Japarov participated in a foundation laying for the new school in the village of Khidirli, located in the Aghdam region.

The new school, funded by the Kyrgyz government, will span over 2.7 hectares and will be three-stories including an underground floor.

Designed to accommodate modern educational needs, the school will house 22 classrooms, sports and assembly halls, two workshops, a library, and specialized laboratories for physics, chemistry, and biology. Additionally, there will be two computer labs and a military training room. The school’s grounds will also feature a sports field and a gazebo, ensuring a comprehensive environment conducive to learning and physical activities.

The construction of the school is expected to complete by the end of 2024, marking the next significant educational investment in the region by a Central Asian country.

The government of Uzbekistan also financed the construction of an educational facility in the Fuzuli district. Named after the renowned medieval Uzbek statesman, Mirza Ulugh Beg, the secondary school, which can accommodate 960 students, officially opened its doors in August 2023.

Additionally, in March, the inauguration of a new creative school for children took place in Fuzuli. Named in honor of the prominent Kazakh composer Kurmangazy, the school's establishment was made possible through funding from the government of Astana.

The foundation laying ceremony in Aghdam on Thursday occurred as part of President Japarov's state visit to Azerbaijan. Prior to his arrival in Aghdam, the Kyrgyz president engaged in discussions with President Aliyev and other Azerbaijani government officials in Baku.

On his way to Aghdam, President Japarov also made a stop in Fuzuli, where he toured the city's ruins, a legacy of the former Armenian occupation. He also reviewed the master plan designed for the comprehensive reconstruction of Fuzuli, which is part of a broader initiative to restore and modernize the war-impacted area.

In Aghdam, President Aliyev guided the Kyrgyz leader on a tour of several significant landmarks, including the under-construction Panahali Khan’s Palace and the Imarat Royal Palace, as well as the renovated Juma Mosque, the Shahbulag Fortress, and the all-new Aghdam Conference Center.

Aghdam, located 362 kilometers west of the capital Baku, was the center of the district of the same name and one of the major cities of heavy, light, and food industries, as well as agriculture of Azerbaijan until the district lost a large part of its territory to the Armenian invasion.

Armenian forces occupied a significant part of the Aghdam district, including the city of Aghdam and 89 villages, comprising about 73 percent of the district’s territory, in the 1990s during the First Karabakh (Garabagh) War. About 6,000 residents of the district were killed and 126,000 forcibly displaced. Only 10 villages of the district remained under Azerbaijan’s control.

Aghdam has been dubbed the “Hiroshima of Caucasus” by the local and international media due to the scale of the destruction in the city. Armenians turned it into the largest “home depot on the planet” as they stripped all the buildings clean to use as building supplies. The city has also suffered a “mine terror” by the Armenian forces.

The occupation of Aghdam ended in 2020 following the 44-day bloody war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Shortly after the war, the Azerbaijani government launched a large-scale reconstruction project in Aghdam. Restoration efforts come as part of the ongoing massive reconstruction campaign in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Aghdam will reportedly regain its original view and see its residents back after the reconstruction.

Currently, major reconstruction projects are being implemented in the city of Aghdam, along with the villages of Kangarli, Sarijali, and Khidirli. Construction of 719 houses in Khidirli, 203 in Sarijali, and 292 in Kangarli will be completed by the end of this year. The initial phase of reconstruction in the Aghdam district includes eight more villages in addition to these four settlements.