The opening ceremony of the international conference on "Interreligious harmony: promotion of peaceful coexistence" was held in Rabat on December 17, jointly organized by the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Morocco.
At the opening session moderated by Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, the Goodwill Director of the Dialogue and Cultural Diversity Administration of the Ambassador's Office of ICESCO, the recitation of the Koran was first performed, and then the movie "Finders of Salvation" commissioned by the State Committee was shown.
Director General of ICESCO, Salim bin Mohammed al-Maliki, expressed his satisfaction that the organization he leads is a co-organizer of the conference. He emphasized that the event is an important platform to draw the attention of the world community to factors that threaten peace and tranquility, especially inter-religious conflicts. The Director General also said that thanks to the activities of President Ilham Aliyev, today Azerbaijan exhibits rare examples of inter-confessional and inter-sectarian solidarity, national unity, spiritual unity, and religious and cultural diversity. He drew attention to the importance of strengthening cooperation between the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations   and ICESCO in promoting peaceful coexistence, as well as the importance of creating a platform for religious communities and international actors to strengthen peace.
Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations, said that the goals of ensuring common cultural and religious values, peace and security, and peaceful cooperation unite the peoples of Azerbaijan and Morocco. The chairman of the committee expressed his belief that the event organized jointly with ICESCO will be of special importance in terms of promoting and promoting the successes and exemplary practices achieved in this direction. He said that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, our country attaches great importance to cooperation with ISESCO, which has done great work in the field of development of science, education, and protection of rich cultural heritage in the Islamic world.
R. Mammadov, who also talked about the formation of different religions in Azerbaijan, the spread of traditions of tolerance and coexistence, spoke about the fact that our country, which is known as the center of multiculturalism in the world, where there are never conflicts on religious and national grounds, always comes up with initiatives that contribute to interreligious and intercultural relations. At the initiative of the President, Azerbaijan has hosted Intercultural Dialogue Forums, Summits of World Religious Leaders, and Baku International Humanitarian Forums within the framework of the "Baku Process" which started in 2008.
In his speech, the chairman of the committee also informed about the initiatives of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, ICESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva in the direction of restoration of world-important historical, religious and cultural monuments.
In his speech, Andre Azoulay, adviser to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, regretted that the world is facing problems in terms of the clash of civilizations and religions, as well as in some other aspects. Inter-religious and even inter-denominational relations are becoming increasingly tense, and the number of local conflicts is constantly increasing. Andre Azouley stressed that the countries of the world should be aware of the peaceful coexistence model of Morocco and Azerbaijan and apply these traditions in their domestic and foreign policies.
Deputy Chairman of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rafael Huseynov drew attention to the common moral values that unite the Islamic civilization and the common cultural heritage created by the union of many peoples. He said that the Islamic world has a rich and colorful cultural heritage. R. Huseynov, who drew attention to Azerbaijan's model of authentic religions and intercultural dialogue that has passed the tests of history, historical experiences that show the right ways of comfortable life in multicultural environments, noted that confessions in our country have always lived in conditions of mutual respect and understanding.
Within the framework of the event, an exhibition titled "Common Human Values, Different Religions" reflecting the richness of different religions and common human values, interreligious harmony was shown.