TEHRAN – The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Education Ministers have condemned military attacks on Iran’s civilian infrastructure, particularly scientific and educational centers, in the final statement of the tenth meeting, held in Minsk, Belarus, on June 16 and 17.
The SCO member states reviewed the presented reports and documents by Iran, voicing their deep concern over airstrikes on educational, research, and civilian infrastructures.
Referring to the SCO’s prior stance, the statement highlighted the unacceptability of the use of force and the need to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law.
SCO education ministers also called for the respect for the security of the scientific and educational centers and the protection of science against the consequences of the conflicts.
Speaking at the 10th meeting, Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, called on the international community to take a decisive stance against US-Israeli strikes on Iranian universities, warning that academic institutions and research centers must never become targets of war.
The official said that attacking universities is a crossing of red lines, highlighting that many universities and educational centers in the country were targeted by the United States and Israel during the recent war.
When a university is targeted, in fact, one of the most authentic centers of culture and civilization is attacked, and the harm is directed at the entire scientific community of the world, msrt.ir quoted Simaei-Sarraf as saying.
Elaborating on the US-Israeli military attacks on Iran, destruction, and assassinations of Iranian universities and scientists in the past year, he emphasized that universities should be safe havens for thought, dialogue, and hope, rather than victims of conflicts.
The official raised a question, asking participants, “Will the international community allow the most authentic centers of civilization to fall victim to violence?”, and urged the global scientific community and international organizations to adopt a clearer, more responsible, and decisive stance in defending the security of universities, scientists, and scientific centers.
Silence in the face of these aggressions will lead to constant violence against science and civilization, he added.
Referring to transboundary challenges such as climate change, water and energy crisis, food security, and developments in artificial intelligence (AI), he stressed that cohesive scientific cooperation is critical for the future of mankind.
The official went on to highlight the unique, civilizational and academic capacities of the SCO member states in AI, basic sciences, advanced materials, and public health, and emphasized the need to transform these diverse advantages into a network of cooperation, noting the universities’ success in the future will not only be measured by the production of pure knowledge, but their impacts on the quality of people’s lives.
The official went on to propose that SCO become a successful model of problem-based convergence in which knowledge is a bridge between nations and a factor for sustainable development, prosperity, and building a safer and more humane future.
Hosting more than 30 representatives of SCO member states, including ministers of education and their deputies, university rectors, and officials from relevant agencies, the tenth meeting aimed to enhance multilateral scientific and technological cooperation among SCO member states.
MT/MG
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