We draw the attention of the international academic community to the fact that war of Russian Federation against Ukraine represents a mortal danger not only for the statehood of Ukraine, but also for the statehood of Belarus. We call international colleagues to recognize this danger and correlate their strategies with the value of preserving the attributes of independence by the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples, of which one of the most significant is a free academic environment.
We stand in solidarity with the international academic community that provides urgent assistance to Ukrainian scientists, and for our part we do everything to be really useful in this matter. Fully sharing the need to sever relations with those institutions in Belarus, which did not unequivocally condemn the invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, we are also sure that even in such a dramatic situation, Belarusians should have opportunity to participate in the international movement of solidarity with Ukraine, as well as participation in international academic projects and programs.
As a Belarusian university in exile, we have always been a proud international team of teachers and researchers. Being well familiar with the situation in the Belarusian society, we call on our European colleagues to continue cooperation with Belarusian scientists, activists and entire organizations that have retained their value and civic position, thereby strengthening, rather than weakening, the scientific and social potential, which will serve as the basis for the formation of a new academic environment after the war, closely integrated into the international academic community.
We are convinced that we must continue to work together to form a new generations of students. Understanding the extreme fragility of trusting and friendly international relations in science, we call on our colleagues in the academic field to do everything possible to prevent the risk of destroying the international academy as a unique community based on universal human values and to preserve the intellectual potential of our countries.