On March 10, Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, presented awards to students of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute who won the essay contest on the topic “Startup Diplomacy: Ukraine and Azerbaijan in Building an Innovation Partnership." The Azerbaijani ambassador met with the winners and contest participants directly on the university campus. The meeting was also attended by the heads of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the faculties represented by the winners.
“Mr. Ambassador, it is a great honor for us to meet again at our university. We remember the lecture you recently gave to our students. It turned out to be somewhat prophetic, as you drew attention to a number of aspects of political processes taking place at the global level,” said KPI Rector Anatolii Melnychenko in his welcoming remarks. “At the same time, it was that very meeting that led to a project that immediately began to be implemented under your patronage. This is the competition whose winners and participants are here today.”
The rector also noted that the competition was attended not only by students studying international relations, but also by those pursuing higher education in the fields of computer and telecommunications technologies, management, and others.
The distinguished guest thanked the university leadership for supporting his initiative dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence and the adoption of its Constitution. “When we look at our bilateral relations, mutual support for territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty has been and remains the cornerstone of our strategic partnership,” emphasized Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev. “But if we want to keep pace with modern global trends, we must certainly expand our cooperation and partnership into new areas. Today, startups, innovation, artificial intelligence, and big data are the future. So we must join our efforts in cooperation for the sake of further technological development, both here in Ukraine and in Azerbaijan."
He also thanked the students who submitted their essays to the competition, noting how difficult it was to select the best ones, and added: “What you put into your work, into your vision, was very interesting. And we will take your ideas and vision into account in our future work. Therefore, this will undoubtedly be your contribution to the practical implementation of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Ukraine."
The authors of the best works were awarded Certificates of Honor from the Embassy. First place was awarded to Anna Tkachenko, a third-year student at the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science; second place went to Ivan Pasko, a fourth-year student at the Institute of Special Communications and Information Protection; and third place went to Maria Minaylova, a first-year student at the Faculty of Sociology and Law. In addition, the Ambassador presented certificates to six other students whose essays were noted as exceptionally insightful.
"I was curious to try my hand at this competition. I was interested in the topic of Azerbaijan itself, because through my work I’ve had some involvement in cooperation with specialists from that country, and I have acquaintances from Azerbaijan. That’s why I decided to submit my work,” Anna Tkachenko told a KP correspondent. According to her, in her essay she wrote about developments that are similar in both countries (for example, the Azerbaijani mobile app “ASAN” and the Ukrainian “Diyu,” which improve people’s lives), and about what is called “people-to-people diplomacy,” —contacts between citizens of our two countries, such as scientists, engineers, or entrepreneurs, who can work together to create something modern and useful.
Finally, university officials discussed with representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ukraine issues of further cooperation in the field of education.
A ceremony was held to honor the nominees and winners of the student essay contest “Startup Diplomacy: Ukraine and Azerbaijan in Building Innovation Partnership,” organized with the support of the 🇦🇿 Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ukraine.
KPI students explored the interplay of diplomacy, technology, and innovation in state development, the protection of national interests, and the strengthening of international partnerships.
Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, personally congratulated the participants and presented the awards.
Congratulations to the winners:
🥇 1st place — Hanna Tkachenko, Faculty of Informatics and Computer Engineering (FIOT) of Igor Sikorsky KPI
🥈 Second-place winner — Ivan Pasko, Institute of Special Communications and Information Protection (ISZZI) of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
🥉 Third-place winner — Maria Minaylova, Faculty of Sociology and Law (FSP) of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
Nominees:
Korniy Belov, Faculty of Sociology and Law (FSP) at Igor Sikorsky KPI
Ramiz Jabralidze, Faculty of Management and Marketing (FMM) at Igor Sikorsky KPI
Daria Khalilova, Faculty of Sociology and Law (FSP) at Igor Sikorsky KPI
Matvii Osadchuk, Faculty of Management and Marketing (FMM), Igor Sikorsky KPI
Anna Pankova, Faculty of Sociology and Law (FSP), Igor Sikorsky KPI
Artemii Bohachev, Faculty of Sociology and Law (FSP), Igor Sikorsky KPIWatch the video to hear what KPI students had to say about participating in the competition.