The opening ceremony of an international student forum, titled “Youth, Peace & Security”, was held at ADA University, Baku, on Thursday.

Organized by the “One” Volunteer Student Cooperation Public Association and supported by the Youth Fund and the Education Development Fund, the forum is dedicated to the “Year of Shusha” declared in Azerbaijan, News.Az reports.

The forum participants first observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of Azerbaijani heroes, who became martyrs for the protection of the country’s territorial integrity.

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of the Education Development Fund, Vladanka Andreeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Farid Jafarov, Executive Director of the Youth Fund, and Gulshan Pashayeva, a Board Member of the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), made speeches at the opening ceremony of the forum.

The forum participants were informed about the damage inflicted on the cultural and material heritage of Azerbaijan’s Shusha city during the occupation period, as well as future development prospects in the post-occupation phase.

The event featured two panel sessions themed “Post-conflict recovery: Reconstruction, reconciliation and peacebuilding” and “Post-conflict statistical situation: Safe and dignified return and reintegration of internally displaced persons”.

During the forum, the composition of a 50-member student body has been determined. The body consists of 10 local students and 40 foreign students representing 30 countries and studying international relations, international law, and diplomacy at the world’s top universities.

The forum will last for five days.

News.Az