"Azerbaijan has always called for fight against defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred. Azerbaijan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov told in his speech at the 42nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
According to Mr Mammadyarov, since our last meeting we have been witnessed the sorrowful and tragic events, such as the Peshawar school massacre in Pakistan, Boko Haram violence in Nigeria, violent killings in Paris and atrocities committed by ISIS and the latest one on mosque in Saudi Arabia. To the deepest regret, executors of these heinous acts distort religion to serve their barbaric causes. As a result, all these actions lead to the misunderstanding of Islam religion in some parts of the world. Islam is a religion that promotes peace and understanding among people of all faiths, and it strictly prohibits all forms of violence and aggression against any human being regardless his or her faith.
"As part of our sustained contributions for development of multiculturalism and tolerance, we were very pleased to host 3rd World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku on 18-19 May 2015. We are very delighted to host 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations next year in our country. It is a common knowledge that sport is a powerful tool to strengthen social ties and networks and to promote peace, fraternity, solidarity, non-violence and tolerance. As you know, Islamic Solidarity Games will be held in Azerbaijan in 2017 and it is a great honour and responsibility for us to host such event," added the Minister.
"Following the rapid economic development, Azerbaijan has become an emerging donor country in the recent years. Since 2012 the national donor institution - Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA), within the frame of strategic cooperation with Islamic Development Bank, has jointly carried out humanitarian actions under the "Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness" campaign in numerous African countries. As a result, thousands of people suffering from cataract were undergone to eye surgeries," Azerbaijani Minister told.