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Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan to continue contributing to intercultural, interreligious dialogue

29 September 2016 08:30 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. Azerbaijan will continue contributing to intercultural and interrreligious dialogue, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

He made the remarks addressing the opening ceremony of the fifth Baku International Humanitarian Forum in Baku Sept. 29

Azerbaijan has always been at the center of multiculturalism, noted Ilham Aliyev.

“History of all religions, the religious monuments are protected by the state. At the same time, the state ensures the restoration of those monuments with its own funds,” said the president. “Mosques, churches, synagogues are built and repaired in Azerbaijan. We celebrate all our religious holidays together. We are proud of our history and our culture.”

The president added that representatives of various religions and cultures have lived in Azerbaijan throughout history. “Perhaps, it is not accidental that namely Azerbaijan was chosen for living together, because, these tendencies have always prevailed in our country, in our land. This is a state policy today as well and we will further pursue this policy,” he said.

“It is not accidental that the year 2016 was declared the “Year of multiculturalism” in Azerbaijan. A monument was erected to multiculturalism not far from the State Flag Square in Baku,” the head of state added.

The president noted that some pessimistic statements are made in some parts of the world.

"Some consider the development of multiculturalism unacceptable. Others believe that this idea failed,” said Ilham Aliyev. “However, the spread of xenophobia and racism are dangerous trends. Therefore, we should demonstrate a unified position on multiculturalism. There are several centers of multiculturalism in the world, and Azerbaijan is one of them.”