Azerbaijan Disputes Armenia's Claims, numl Students Seek Attendance Relief

Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have escalated as Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Armenia's government of distorting historical events and perpetuating ethnic hatred, while in a separate development, students at the National University of Modern Languages (numl) are seeking relief from strict attendance requirements to save their academic future.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned Armenia's recent statement, labeling it as evidence of a "systematic policy of intolerance and ethnic hatred" towards Azerbaijan. The dispute centers around historical events, including the 1990 Black January tragedy and the 1988 Sumgayit riots, which Azerbaijan claims were ethnically motivated provocations organized by the USSR State Security Committee (KGB) and Armenian nationalists. Meanwhile, EU ambassadors, including Peter Michalko, have laid flowers at the Alley of Martyrs in Baku to commemorate the victims of the 1990 Black January tragedy, reaffirming the EU's commitment to peace and stability in the region.

In a separate development, students of the German Department at the numl, Islamabad Campus, are facing an uncertain academic future due to strict attendance requirements. The students, who are part of the A1+A2 Certificate courses, have been denied permission to appear for their exams due to short attendance. Despite repeated requests to the Head of the Department, their plea was rejected, prompting them to appeal to the Rector for a relaxation in attendance requirements from 80% to 70%. The students argue that many of them are full-time students who cannot progress to the B1 course without the A2 certificate, and that a relaxation in attendance requirements is essential to ensure they can continue their course without setbacks.

As tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to simmer, and the numl students await a decision on their attendance requirements, it remains to be seen how these developments will unfold. The EU's commitment to peace and stability in the region is a welcome gesture, but a resolution to the historical disputes between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains elusive. Meanwhile, the numl students can only hope that their plea for relief will be heard, allowing them to continue their academic pursuits without interruption.