SHEIKH-AL-ISLAM HAJI ALLAHSHUKUR PASHAZADEH: "WE, RELIGIOUS FIGURES, ADVOCATE FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"
APA
June 18 2009
Azerbaijan
Moscow. R. Metleboglu -APA. "The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is an
important and vital issue for Azerbaijani people. The Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is a painful issue for us. We, religious figures, advocate
for peaceful solution of the Karabakh problem because millions of
Azerbaijanis were forcibly displaced from their homes in Karabakh
and nearby regions and 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands is under
the Armenian occupation", Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office
Sheikh-al-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh told APA correspondent at
a press conference in Moscow on the eve of the international conference
"CIS Muslims for inter-confessional and international reconciliation".
Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office said they were working
and hoping that not only Nagorno Karabakh, but also other conflicts
within CIS wouldn’t get a religious character and wouldn’t create
confrontation between Islam and Christianity. "We consider it as our
first duty and are making all efforts for that. The governments create
opportunity for the meeting of the leaders of different confessions,
including Armenian Catholic leader. My position is coinciding
with the position of Armenian Cathalicos that the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict must be settled peacefully. Our statements confirm it. If
the statesmen need in the assistance of the religious figures, we
are always ready to help them, but the religious figures never wish
to join the political processes because the politics are within the
authorities of the governments".
Allahshukur Pashazadeh said the conference of CIS Muslim leaders
in Moscow was first meeting of the Muslim leaders of post-soviet
space in the past 18 years. He said the conference opened new phase
in the history of CIS Muslim confessions and nearly 200 delegates
from 17 countries joined the conference. The Muslim leaders of the
CIS countries, religious figures from the different confessions,
representatives of the diplomatic missions, well-known public figures
were among the participants. The Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims
Office called the establishing of the Advising Council one of the
important results of the conference.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress