MUSLIM LEADER REGARDS ABSURD ANY STATEMENT CONNECTING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT TO RELIGIOUS FACTORS
Trend News Agency
Nov 16 2007
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend S.Agayeva / Statements by leaders of
Armenia, urging the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to have religious
roots are absurd, Haji Allahshukur Pashazade, the chairman of the
Caucasus Muslims Department, Sheik-ul-Islam of Caucasus, said to a
conference Model of Tolerance – Azerbaijan, in Baku on 16 November.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.
Recently, Serzh Sarkisian, the Armenian Prime Minister, stated that
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict roots to the religious factors.
"This nonsense is Armenian’s alarm for the West, which realized its
helplessness before the strengthening military power of Azerbaijan.
Armenians pursue having more support from the West, playing the role
of suffered nation," Pashazade said.
Sheik-ul-Islam replied the Armenians with the documents undersigned by
Armenian Catholicos Vazgen I, who stated that ‘attempts of representing
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as an inter-religious are inadmissible and
people confirming it are guilty before God.’
"Presently, Bazgen’s followers deny their religious leaders’ position
for the sake of political benefits," Pashazade said. Over many
centuries different religions have peacefully existed in Azerbaijan
and Azerbaijan can be a good example of tolerance for many world
countries. Peaceableness and tolerance of Azerbaijan have been
recognized by the world, Sheik-ul-Silam said.