BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 27. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elnur Mammadov met with the delegation of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) visiting Azerbaijan on February 27, 2025, Trend reports via Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
In the course of the meeting with the delegation headed by the Chairman of the Commission Stephen Schneck, the sides exchanged views on cooperation between the two countries on religious issues as a component of the humanitarian sphere in bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the US, as well as the importance of values such as multiculturalism and religious tolerance in the development of peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect.
USCIRF chairman Schneck stated that the visit was made to directly familiarize with the experience accumulated in the field of regulation of religious issues in Azerbaijan over the past year. He noted that for this purpose within the framework of the visit meetings with representatives of several relevant state structures and representatives of various religious communities of Azerbaijan are planned.
Deputy Minister Mammadov emphasized that the traditions of multiculturalism and religious tolerance historically formed in Azerbaijan are highly valued at the international level and stressed that Azerbaijan is always interested in mutual exchange of experience in this direction.
He noted that the historical peculiarities of Azerbaijan's development, as well as its geographical location and rich demographic composition, played an important role in the formation of tolerance culture in national, ethnic, and religious planes in our country. In particular, the Deputy Minister stressed the importance of reflecting an objective approach and narratives of the experience of harmony and peaceful coexistence between the bearers of different faiths living in Azerbaijan in the annual reports published by the Commission. He also highlighted the importance of the purposeful state policy conducted in Azerbaijan to support the development of this exemplary environment.
Mammadov also underlined the importance of the methodology of studying and researching issues based on concrete facts in such reports, noting that there are expectations that the aggression and vandalism committed by Armenia during the multi-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands against religious monuments will be reflected in detail in the Commission's publications. He added that such inhuman acts of vandalism have caused serious damage to the religious and moral values not only of the Azerbaijani people but also of all sensitive communities.
The meeting also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.