Dear Ambassador Pashayev,
Dear Members of the PNLU Coordination Council,
It is my pleasure to address the inaugural meeting of the Coordination Council of the CICA Partnership Network of Leading Universities (PNLU).
I would like to express my profound gratitude to ADA University of Azerbaijan for taking on the responsibility of chairing the PNLU Coordination Council. I also warmly welcome the distinguished representatives of the universities from China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, whose participation will undoubtedly contribute to the success and impact of the CICA PNLU.
CICA is a unique multilateral platform stretching from the Pacific to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean, covering 90 percent of Asia and giving equal opportunities to all its 28 Member States to exchange knowledge and best practices, and make decisions based on consensus. Since its inception, CICA's primary focus has been on promoting confidence building measures across five diverse dimensions such as Economic, Environmental, Human, New challenges and threats, and Military-political dimension.
The establishment of PNLU was proposed by the President of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev at the 6th CICA Summit in October 2022. Throughout the 2023-2024 the concept paper of PNLU and Memorandum of PNLU establishment was discussed at various levels to ensure inclusiveness and proposals from each Member State. Finally, in December 2024, the 7th CICA Ministerial Council adopted the Memorandum on Establishment of the PNLU. As of now, we have received around 190 nominations from 12 CICA Member States and I’m confident that this number will increase, since the PNLU will constantly be open for accession.
Dear colleagues,
Education has always been a cornerstone of progress and development, serving as a bridge between nations, cultures and generations. Republic of Azerbaijan in its Vision paper for CICA Chairmanship in 2024-2026 underlined the education and science as one of the priorities for the upcoming years. Today, as we gather to lay the foundation for a dynamic and forward-thinking network of leading universities, we reaffirm our collective dedication to fostering academic excellence, research collaboration, and intercultural dialogue across the vast and diverse CICA region.
The establishment of this network represents a significant milestone in CICA’s mission to enhance mutual trust, cooperation, and understanding among our Member States.
Today, we all witness an increasingly vital role of Asia in global affairs. With its ample human and natural resources and diverse cultural heritage, our vast continent is emerging as the main driver of progress throughout the world. To keep on this pace we need skilled, intelligent and qualified human resources, therefore I sincerely hope that the young generation, the students, will be the main beneficiaries of the network and PNLU will facilitate competitive education.
As we embark on this journey together, I encourage all of you to bring forward your ideas, perspectives, and expertise to ensure that the PNLU becomes a thriving and impactful network. Let us work collaboratively to develop concrete action plans that will transform this vision into reality.
In closing, I wish you productive deliberations and a successful first meeting of the Coordination Council. May this initiative be the beginning of a new era of academic and intellectual cooperation within the CICA framework.
Thank you, and I look forward to witnessing the great achievements that will emerge from this network.
Thank you very much.
21 February 2025, online
