Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

Ethnic and religious tolerance has been advocated at the state level in Azerbaijan, and the government provides equal opportunities and equal rights, as well as peaceful and comfortable living conditions for religious and ethnic minorities, MP Azay Guliyev said on December 16.

Guliyev, who heads the Council on the State Support to the Non-Governmental Organizations under the Azerbaijani President, made the remarks at the fifth session of the General Assembly of the European Jewish Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

"The ethnic minorities enjoy the same rights as the dominating ethnic Azerbaijanis, including the right of education in native language," he said in his speech.

"There are more than 40 minorities and ethnic groups who co-exist in Azerbaijan such as Tallishes, Avars, Lezgis, Sakhurs, Armenians, Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Poles and others," the official added.

"Azerbaijan, situated at the crossroad of East and West, is a multicultural society dominated by the Muslim Azerbaijanis," Guliyev said.

"For centuries, Azerbaijanis have lived in peace and harmony with people of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. Marking International Day of Tolerance [November 16], Azerbaijan has been listed one of the top five most tolerant countries in the world. This obvious fact has been recognized by many scholars, politicians, journalists and public figures. Many believe that Azerbaijan can serve as a good example of ethnic and religious tolerance for a world full of intolerance. All three monotheistic faiths - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - have peacefully coexisted in our country for many centuries," he said.

The MP continued to say: "Jews have lived in peace and harmony with Azerbaijanis for centuries. There are two big Jewish communities in the country. One of them is in the capital city, Baku, which is the home of three synagogues and of approximately fifteen Jewish organizations. Other Jewish communities live in the village of Krasnaya Sloboda situated in Guba region of Azerbaijan."

"In the late 19th century, Karasnaya Sloboda was the only village beyond Israel completely inhabitated by a Jewish community. This village was also known as little Jerusalem. There were eleven synagogues in Sloboda and seven of them have been renovated and returned to service in the Jewish community during the presidency of Haydar Aliyev, National Leader of Azerbaijan. Moreover, I can proudly say that Anti-Semitism has never been an issue in Azerbaijan. Actually, Azerbaijanis are among those few people in the world for whom even the meaning of Anti-Semitism has always been unknown," Guliyev said.

Guliyev emphasized that the Jewish community plays a specific role in socio-political and cultural life of the country.

"Members of this community actively participate in the process of legal and secular state-building in Azerbaijan. They have representatives in the parliament, municipalities, and in other state and government bodies. The Jewish community has established many NGOs which are quite active in Azerbaijan's socio-political life. As our cooperation with the Jewish community gains momentum, I believe it will contribute to further strengthening of democratic Azerbaijan," Guliyev said.

During his visit to Brussels, Guliyev also met with Angelo Baglio, Head of Unit of the Relations with Civil Society and Coordination of the European Commission.

During the meeting, Guliyev provided detailed information on the activities of the council, mentioning that eight members are representatives of NGOs, while three others were appointed by the President.

The MP further noted the council's decisions are independent and balanced as they are made in a democratic way. He said the council was established in 2007 by the decision of the head of Azerbaijan state.

"Since its foundation the council has provided financial support for more than 2,000 projects," he added.

Guliyev invited the Unit of the European Commission to implement joint projects with the council and have close bilateral cooperation in the fields of civil society development, democracy, human rights protection.

He expressed hope that the cooperation will ultimately contribute to the achievement of common goals.

Baglio, for his part, said that development of civil society in Azerbaijan and the region, as well as ensuring its transparency are among the top priorities for the European Union.

"In 2012-2013, the European Union supported various projects worth approximately 6 million Euros," he said, adding that the projects were in particular in the fields of human rights and democracy, and improving the justice system.

Baglio also expressed hope for further cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union in the sphere of civil society.