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Elmar Mammadyarov receives Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

07 March 2008 16:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Azerbaijanâ€™s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has received Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Ministryâ€™s Press Service told APA. Expressing satisfaction with his visit to our country and attending the inauguration of Catholic Church in Baku, the cardinal said decision had been made to open nunciature of Vatican in Baku and this step would improve the bilateral relations. Cardinal Bertone appreciated religious traditions and policy in Azerbaijan and underlined that this religious model was interesting for both the region and the whole world and was of great importance for Azerbaijanâ€™s reputation in the international arena.
Elmar Mammadyarov said though the majority of Azerbaijanâ€™s population was Muslims, numerous religious communities live in peace and noted that this historical religious tolerance was an important element of the society. The minister also said that thousands of people had been displaced as a result of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan used all diplomatic means to restore its territorial integrity.
Following this, the sides discussed cooperation in field of education, reviewed the establishment of cooperation with Heydar Aliyev Foundation and opportunities to improve the knowledge of the youth as the main element of the society.