Mubariz Gurbanli, Chairman of the State Committee on Religious Associations, gave an interview to Larry Luxner, news editor of the Jewish Telegraph Agency and US based "The Washington Diplomat" newspaper on December 16.

In his interview, Chairman of the State Committee spoke about exemplary state-religion relations in Azerbaijan, tolerant and multicultural environment, inter-religious harmony, as well as state care for religious communities. He said that our country, which has historically been the intersection of religions and cultures, is still successfully performing the same function. The multicultural and tolerant values inherent in our people have been further strengthened by the state policy laid down by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and successfully implemented by President Ilham Aliyev. Noting that 96 percent of the population of Azerbaijan is Muslim, the chairman of the Committee underlined that various religious confessions have been operating in our country for centuries in a free and mutual understanding context, with constant respect for their language, religion, culture, state support for Islam and non-religious support. He emphasized that there are Jewish synagogues, Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches in our country and 35 non-Islamic religious communities have been registered.
Speaking also about the results of the II Baku Summit of World Religious Leaders, which was attended last month by prominent religious leaders, reputable international organizations and delegations from more than 70 countries, Mubariz Gurbanli stressed that our capital has become a brain center in this area.
At the end of the meeting, the guests were presented by books of the SCRA on religious tolerance in our country and the Armenian vandalism against our material and cultural heritage.
The Jewish Telegraph Agency will visit the mosques, churches, and synagogues during their visits to our country to get acquainted with the traditions of religious environment, co-existence, multiculturalism and tolerance in Azerbaijan.