On 25 June the World Conference on “Religions, Creeds and/or Other Value Systems: Joining Forces to Enhance Equal Citizenship Rights” was held under the patronage of the Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Al-Hassan bin Talal at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The conference dedicated to the advocacy of co-existence and cooperation among nations with different religions and cultures, the promotion and advocacy of the idea of inclusive society was attended by the high-ranking state figures of some countries, scholars, leaders of international centres advocating inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, leaders of Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other religious communities as well as special reporters of international organizations on ethnic and religious issues.

Our country was represented at the conference by the Head of the Department of Interethnic Relations, Multiculturalism and Religious Issues of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Etibar Najafov. He made his report on “The Azerbaijani Model of Equal and Inclusive Citizenship Rights” at the session titled “Equal Citizenship Rights: Moving Towards a New Paradigm”.

In his report Etibar Najafov touched upon the important manifestations of the policy of multiculturalism founded by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. He also spoke of the high level of relations between state and religion in our country which is the bright example of this policy. Among the main indicators of the high level of relations between state and religion in Azerbaijan he pointed out the guarantee of the freedom of religious faith, the equality of all religions and religious creeds before the Law, all kinds of state support, including the financial support rendered for the activities of the religious communities, also the establishment of inter-religious relations in Azerbaijan on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation.

In the end of the conference the participants adopted the Final Declaration titled “Moving Towards Greater Spiritual Convergence Worldwide in Support of Equal Citizenship Rights”.

At the initiative of the Azerbaijani side the Declaration also included the information on “Baku Process” targeted at the advocacy and promotion of the intercultural dialogue founded in 2008 by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Запись Etibar Najafov: “There Are Perfect Relations Between State and Religion in Azerbaijan” впервые появилась Baku International Multiculturalism Centre.