Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 April / Trend, I. Izzet /
The Head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Elshad Isgandarov is taking part in the 3rd Kiev Interfaith Forum in the capital of Ukraine.
Prior to the event, members of the Azerbaijani delegation headed by the Chairman of the State Committee visited the monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev in the center of Kiev and honored his memory, the State Committee reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, in his speech at the forum, Isganderov informed conference participants about the relationship between state and religion in Azerbaijan and also spoke about the salient features of Azerbaijan's model of tolerance, which could be an example to the rest of the world. The head of the State Committee noted that there is a model of tolerance in Azerbaijan under which the care and support of the state on religious matters is always evolving incrementally.
Isganderov then mentioned the statement made by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev that "tolerance and multiculturalism is an integral part of Azerbaijan's character" and said that this model is in tune with national and historical heritage of Azerbaijan. Thus, the preservation of the Jewish settlement "Krasnaya Sloboda", Russian Orthodox churches and other holy places and places of pilgrimage as well as an increase in the number of mosques from 17 to 1,800 after gaining independence mark bright and clear examples that confirm the words of the head of state.
The forum, held at the initiative of the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chairman of the Ukrainian inter-religious forum Alexander Feldman, is being attended by religious leaders, politicians and community representatives from more than 30 countries.
During his visit to Ukraine, Isgandarov will meet with the President of the Belgian Senate Anne Marie Lizin as well as heads of government and various religious denominations in Ukraine.
