The international conference on "Interreligious harmony: Promotion of peaceful coexistence" held in Rabat on December 17, jointly organized by the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Morocco continued its work with panel sessions.
With modertation of the rector of the Azerbaijan Institute of Theology, PhD in Theology, Associate Professor Agil Shirinov, Fazil Mustafa,  deputy of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Committee of Public Unions and Religious Institutions speaking at the second session on the topic of "Research of the Azerbaijani model of religious tolerance and coexistence, highlighting of successful initiatives and practices", "Best practices in religious coexistence’, drew attention to the high level of intercultural dialogue in our country. He said that multiculturalism is a way of life for our people. The creation of this environment is directly related to the correct regulation of secular state and religious relations in the country's Constitution. Pointing out that Armenia has destroyed hundreds of mosques and examples of cultural heritage in the lands of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia for 30 years, as well as in its current territory, F. Mustafa emphasized that the main propagandists of this process are religious figures belonging to the Armenian-Gregorian Church.
The head of the "Global Christian-Muslim-Marian Committee" organization of the Republic of Italy, Nadir al-Akkad, said that peace-loving countries see the salvation of humanity in the peaceful coexistence of peoples, regardless of their language, religion, or nationality. In this regard, the Azerbaijani model of multiculturalism and tolerance, which is accepted as an example in the world, has an important political meaning.
Stating that the world is facing serious problems in the matter of inter-religious relations, Bishop Alexi (Smirnov) of the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church said that religious rhetoric is often used to justify violence, and radicalism and extremism are manifestations of this. Saying that the most important principles of the religious policy of the Azerbaijan state are tolerance, respect for differences in faith and worship, the bishop emphasized that this model proves that it is possible to overcome negative challenges in the modern era, when xenophobia and radicalism are increasing.
Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Head of Heydar Aliyev Heritage Research and Promotion Department, Jamil Aliyev, drew the attention that the Foundation actively participates in the construction of a new society by implementing various projects in education, health, culture, sports, science and technology, ecology, social and other fields, and contributes to the socio-economic development of the country. He noted that one of the main goals of the Foundation is to support the establishment of religious tolerance and the preservation of national and moral values in the process of integration into the globalized world.
Professor of "Zeytouni" University, former Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia Abdeljalil Salem emphasized the importance of mutual understanding and dialogue in solving the current problems of the world. He noted that dialogue is the only way to peace in the world, and all societies should show solidarity on this path.
Rabbi Shneor Segal of the Baku religious community of European Jews gave detailed information about the existence of friendly relations between representatives of many nations in Azerbaijan for many centuries.
Joseph Marek, vicar general of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Azerbaijan, spoke about the history of the spread of Christianity in our country and the historical relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Azerbaijan. He noted that the Catholic community in Azerbaijan always feels the support of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.
After both sessions, open discussions were held, audience questions were answered and comments were heard.
Director General of ICESCO, Salim Al-Malik, made a speech at the end of the international conference on "Interreligious Harmony: Promoting Peaceful Coexistence" and emphasized several important issues. He noted the importance of interreligious dialogue and the principle of harmony for ensuring peaceful coexistence in the modern world. In addition, he stated that interreligious cooperation helps both to increase the mutual understanding of cultures and to prevent violence and extremism. Salim Al-Malik emphasized that such international events are important steps aimed at building a more open and tolerant society for people to understand each other and live together.
Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, noted the importance of the event and emphasized the relevance of the topics discussed. He said that Azerbaijan shares the same values and principles with ICESCO due to its tolerant and multicultural environment, respect and loyalty to Islamic values. The State Committee works closely with local and international partners to promote Azerbaijan's exemplary model of religious harmony and demonstrate the effectiveness of inclusive religious policy through various initiatives. The chairman of the committee expressed his gratitude to ICESCO for its high-level cooperation as an organization with a very important reputation worldwide, which has great success in protecting the rich cultural heritage of the Islamic world.
Nazim Samadov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Morocco, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to ICESCO, said that it is necessary to hold such events, which are important in the modern world in terms of promoting humanist ideas and promoting a multicultural lifestyle. The ambassador expressed his confidence that the discussions and constructive proposals made at the conference will contribute to the promotion of interreligious dialogue, strengthening of intercultural harmony, peace and mutual understanding.
It should be noted that representatives of the state and government institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Kingdom of Morocco, international organizations, diplomatic corps and civil society institutions, religious leaders, politicians, scientists and researchers participated in the conference. The purpose of the conference is to promote the importance of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and religious tolerance, to promote the religious diversity model of Azerbaijan, to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between religious leaders, politicians and scientists, and to share the best practices in the direction of eliminating religious intolerance.
The exhibition "Common Human Values, Different Religions" organized within the framework of the conference featured photos related to religious diversity and tolerance in Azerbaijan, as well as Shusha, recognized as a cultural capital by ICESCO.