The visit of the delegation led by the Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations Ramin Mammadov to the Republic of Türkiye is being continued.

On May 30, the delegation met with Istanbul Mufti Safi Arpaguş. During the meeting, it was emphasized that the representatives of different religions and different cultures lived in peace and tranquility in Azerbaijan throughout history, so our people still preserve the traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism, and made important contributions to inter-civilizational dialogue and Islamic solidarity. It was stated that the policies of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye generate a reliable basis for establishing cooperation at the highest level in all realms.

During the meeting, attention was drawn to the importance of increasing the role of religious leaders of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in solving the problems in the region and promoting Islamic solidarity.

Then the delegation visited "Zeynabiyya Mosque and Cultural Center". The leader of Turkish Jafaris, Selahattin Ozgunduz, informed the delegation about the Turkish Jafari community, the activities of "Zeynabiyya Mosque and Cultural Center" as well.

Chairman of the State Committee, Ramin Mammadov, in his turn, touched upon the state-religion relations, which are based on the rich national-historical tradition and regulated by international legal norms, and the environment of high tolerance. He emphasized that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, pays comprehensive attention to the protection of national and moral values, including supporting the activities of religious denominations, protecting ethnic-religious diversity in society and bolstering multicultural values.

As part of the visit, the delegation also visited "Istanbul 29 Mayıs University". After getting acquainted with the conditions at the university, extensive information was given about the Azerbaijan Theological Institute (ATI), which operates under the State Committee. It was reported that this educational institution was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 9, 2018. In a short period of time, ATI has signed cooperation protocols with many leading religious education universities of the world.

Rector of "Istanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi" Mustafa Sinanoğlu pointed out that they are interested in establishing cooperation relations with ATI.

In the meeting of the delegation with the head of the Center for Islamic Studies, Murtaza Badir sides exchanged views on the training of clerics, the importance of scientific research on the Islamic religion, as well as the role of Islam in history, inter-civilizational relations, and other topical issues.