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Azerbaijan wants peace and stability to be restored in the Muslim world, said the Azerbaijani leader noting that some of the developments unfolding in the Muslim world are worrying.

President Ilham Aliyev made the remark while addressing the Iftar ceremony on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan hosted by Chairman of the Clerical Office of Caucasus Muslims Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade.

Head of the Baku and Caspian Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexander, chairman of the Religious Community of the Mountain Jews of Baku Milikh Yevdayev, head of the Catholic community in Azerbaijan Ordinary Vladimir Fekete and other religious figures were among the attendees.

“We want an end to conflicts based on religious affiliation. We want unity. We can’t be strong without unity. Azerbaijan, in turn, is doing a lot to strengthen the Muslim solidarity, and we are doing it in a consistent manner,” the president said as he addressed the participants.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan is working hard to promote Islamic values in the world, especially in Europe, the president reminded that Azerbaijan was the first Muslim country to conduct an exhibition at the Vatican.

“This is a manifestation of our policy. At the same time, it is our commitment to human values. We want the Muslim world to have unity. We are in favor of better mutual understanding and respect in the world,” the president added.

Speaking about the current challenges the world faced, President Aliyev said: “Several countries in the Middle East have already found themselves in an uncontrollable state. Unfortunately wars are breaking up in the Middle East. Europe is going through a deep crisis related to migrants. At the same time, it is a crisis of values. The migratory crisis inevitably reinforces the trend of Islamophobia in Europe. This is a huge threat to both Muslims and Europe. Under such circumstances, Azerbaijan is going down its own path.”

The president emphasized that at a time when very difficult processes are taking place in the world, the example of Azerbaijan is even more obvious. “It means that it is possible for representatives of all religions to live together like one family. It is possible for the trend of multiculturalism to strengthen. It is possible for a country to never have confrontation on religious or ethnic grounds. Not there has never been and never will be confrontation or even misunderstanding, I am sure. In other words, Azerbaijan today is demonstrating a unique model of development,” President Aliyev said, stressing this is just the way the Azerbaijani nation live.

The head of state stressed that Azerbaijan is proud to be a multi-ethnic country. “We are proud of the fact that representatives of all religions and ethnicities live in Azerbaijan peacefully. They are proud to be citizens of Azerbaijan. They are making an enormous contribution to the development of our country both domestically and abroad,” he said.

The president further underlined that representatives of all nationalities living in Azerbaijan are also united on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – “our most painful problem”.

Emphasizing that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved as soon as possible, President Aliyev said international law favors our position. “Statements regarding the unacceptability of the status quo have been made for many years, but no action is taken afterwards. It is time to take concrete steps. The occupier should be faced with very serious pressure, so that the issue is resolved peacefully. We are in favor of that. We have always been in favor of that,” the president said.

The president stressed that if someone believes that Baku will continue to conduct meaningless talks for the next 20 years, they are mistaken. “We do not intend to conduct meaningless negotiations. We will not imitate negotiations. Meaningful and substantive talks must begin immediately and unconditionally. In this case, we can approach a peaceful solution to the issue.”

The president also voiced belief that the country will follow the path of development in all other directions. “We confidently manage our country. I want to reiterate that economic and, of course, energy issues are being addressed. But the main source of our strength is our unity. The people present here today are demonstrating the unity of the Azerbaijani state and people,” the head of the state concluded.

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