Today, a historic step was taken at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek International University: the official opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Center for Youth Dialogue and Exchange.
The participation of diplomatic missions confirmed the high level of the event. In his address, Rector of KUMU, Doctor of Economics and Professor Abdilbayet Mamassydykov, expressed gratitude to the consulates of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, noting that their presence was an important symbol of regional cooperation and unity.
Below is the full version of the speech delivered by Rector Mamassydykov at the opening ceremony:
Dear representatives of diplomatic missions, honored guests, esteemed colleagues, and dear youth of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan!
Today we stand at the threshold of an event that goes far beyond the academic calendar. We are opening not just a classroom — we are opening a space of meaning, where states, generations, cultures, and dreams meet.
The SCO is not only a political architecture. It is a space of trust. A space where the word “cooperation” is not a formality, but a promise to future generations that the world can be built together — respecting differences and multiplying opportunities. And today, this space has found its home in our university.
We express special gratitude to the diplomatic representatives present here — the consulates of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. Your participation underscores that the university’s initiative is part of a larger movement, part of a regional mission that concerns security, education, and, above all, human unity. But there is another force for which we have gathered today — our youth.
Dear students! You are not just participants in this event. You are the meaning of what we are doing today. You are the breath of this platform, its energy, and its continuation. You are those who tomorrow will speak not of borders, but of bridges. Not of differences, but of points of connection. Not of the past, but of the future.
When we say “youth — successors of good neighborliness”, we are speaking about you. About those who know how to be friends with their hearts. About those who dare to dream boldly. About those who will build Central Asia of the 21st century on the foundations of knowledge, respect, and mutual understanding.
Today’s opening of the SCO Auditorium is our contribution to the formation of a new culture of dialogue. Here, joint projects, scientific research, and international initiatives will be born. Here, future diplomats, researchers, leaders, and educators will be nurtured — people capable of speaking the language of cooperation, not conflict.
We stand on land where paths, caravans, and cultures have met for centuries. Osh is a city that has heard the voices of many civilizations. And today, another voice is added — the voice of SCO youth.
Let this auditorium become a place where new ideas are voiced, where every student feels part of a larger world, where cooperation is not a formality but an inner need.
Let it be a space where are born: — profound thoughts, — honest conversations, — warm friendships, — and projects that change destinies.
We are opening an auditorium, but in reality — we are opening the future, which we are creating together.
Thank you to everyone who is with us today. Thank you for your trust, your support, and your belief in dialogue. May this event mark the beginning of a great and bright journey, along which we will walk together — the university, our youth, and our esteemed SCO partners.
Rector of KUMU, Professor Abdilbayet Mamassydykov
