BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 8. Annual financial aid is officially allocated to Azerbaijan's religious confessions and is extended to all religious communities including non-Muslim ones, following President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's decrees, said the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations, Trend reports.
"This support is extended to all religious communities, including non-Muslim ones. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is involved in the restoration of historical and cultural monuments, as well as the construction of new places of worship. During their travels across the country, President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva visit religious places of worship and engage in discussions with believers," the committee said.
Moreover, President Ilham Aliyev took the religious monuments in the territories liberated from the Armenian occupation under special control, and orders were given to restore all religious places of worship located in these territories, without exception, said the committee.
It was noted that not only the destroyed mosques but also churches have been restored in Shusha. Also, an imam (man who leads prayers in a mosque) has been appointed in the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque, located in Shusha.
"The state has been providing material assistance to religious leaders for several years so far. Funding is provided for their social projects, conferences on tolerance, and coexistence, and other events are organized jointly with them. The Bible Society and other non-Islamic religious communities organized trips to Guba, Ismayilli, Kalbajar, and other districts of the country with the participation of representatives of religious confessions operating in Azerbaijan. Such visits strengthen friendly and benevolent relations between the communities," said the committee.
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