Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr S. Aghayeva / We uphold inter-religious dialogue and tolerance all over the world, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rene van der Linden, stated on 9 July in Baku at the meeting with the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims' Clerical Port, Sheik-ul-Islam Hadji Allahshukur Pashazadeh. "I am glad to see the heads of other religious faiths functioning in Azerbaijan at this meeting," he said. During the previous three last years, PACE is paying special attention to inter-religious dialogue, Linden said. Thus, according to him, for the first time in the history of PACE the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Conference delivered at PACE a speech on tolerance. "We have common values and a respect of other faiths is amongst them," Linden said.
The clerical leader of the Caucasus Muslims stated that all conditions were being provided in Azerbaijan for the normal peaceful co-existence of different religions. Azerbaijan is distinguished from other countries of the region by its tolerance, he said. According to Linden, there are no problems between the State and other religions in Azerbaijan.
Sheik-ul-Islam thanked the Chairman of PACE for his statements regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. "We support the peaceful solution to the problem. We oppose war and bloodshed," Pashazadeh said.