Istanbul. Mayis Alizadeh - APA. Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh, who is visiting Turkey, met with Bartholomew I, Patriarch of the Fener Rum Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul.
APA reports that leaders of religious minorities in Azerbaijan also attended the meeting.
Bartholomew I, Patriarch of the Fener Rum Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul, expressed gratitude to Allahshukur Pashazadeh for accepting the invitation. Underlining the importance of interreligious dialogue and tolerance in the globalizing world, Bartholomew said Azerbaijan is one of the model countries in this field.
“Our meetings with the late Heydar Aliyev are unforgettable for me. I will never forget what the late Aliyev told me in Baku "You are a very pleasant man". President Ilham Aliyev has friendship relations with our Prime Minister. At this hard time, we should come together and establish influential dialogue platforms to solve the problems," he said.
Addressing the meeting, Allahshukur Pashazadeh said religious freedom and tolerance was founded in Azerbaijan by the late President Heydar Aliyev, underlined that the proper policy in the field of religion-state relations is successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev.
"At present religious figures should cooperate more. Thanks to the care of our state, we do not have problem in the field of religious freedom. Maybe I am the only Muslim religious figure going to church, offering financial support for the solution of the problems of churches. Some Islamic religious figures try to reach their goals using religion. I ask His Holiness Patriarch to fight against such cases,” he said.
Bartholomew I, Patriarch of the Fener Rum Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul said the representatives of religious minorities in Turkey appealed to the Religious Affairs Department to get support from budget. He said Human Rights Commissioner's Office also made similar proposal to Fener Rum Orthodox Patriarchate, decision will be passed after the proposal is discussed.
To APA's question "How important secularism is in the proper regulation of religion-state relations?", Patriarch of the Fener Rum Orthodox Patriarchate said: “Of course secularism is very important in the proper regulation of religion-state relations. There exists secularism in Turkey and we have established our relations with the state basing on this principle. We are satisfied with it.”
The delegation led by Allahshukur Pashazadeh is paying a visit to Turkey to attend the 17th Eurasian Economic Summit to be organized by Marmara Group Foundation on February 4-6. The delegation includes Archbishop Alexander of Baku and Azerbaijan, head of the community of Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan Melih Evdayev and Ordinary of Catholic Church in Baku Vladimir Fekete.
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