Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani and Russian clerics meeting in Baku on Thursday called on the world community not to support terror and extremist groups.

The call was made in a joint statement adopted at a conference on ways of countering the spread of extremism in the Caucasus, which was devoted to the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence.

The signatories said they opposed any form of violence, terrorism or extremism and urged governments and civil society to do their utmost to prevent wars and terror acts in the Caucasus and other CIS regions.

"We support a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict [between Azerbaijan and Armenia], which is a hotbed of separatism and terrorism in the region," the statement says. "Conflict situations should be resolved on the basis of relevant norms and documents of international law and the generally accepted principle of territorial integrity. We call on the world community not to provide any moral, financial or military assistance to terror and extremist groups."

The conference, organized by the Caucasus Muslims Office and the Moscow State Linguistic University, was joined by CMO chairman, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazada, Presidential Administration department head Ali Hasanov, head of the State Committee for Religious Organizations Hidayat Orujov, and Russian Orthodox Church representative Vsevolod Chaplin.