Baku Diocese: Azerbaijan is an example of peaceful coexistence of religions

The Baku summit of religious leaders showed that there is much to learn from Azerbaijan and adopt the best practices in the field of multiculturalism and tolerance, Spokesperson of the Baku Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Archpriest Konstantin Pimanov said.

"Since ancient times, Azerbaijan has been at the crossroads of North and South, West and East, and since ancient times it has so happened that many nationalities live on the territory of Azerbaijan, and there have always been many different religious denominations and trends. The story continues to this day and the Second Summit of World Religious Leaders in Baku is of great importance, " K. Pimanov said.

According to him, despite the fact that Azerbaijan is a secular state, however, the Constitution is written for representatives of all faiths - Muslims, Christians, Jews.

"We are all citizens of this country, we all rejoice for its prosperity, for its development, and we are doing everything to ensure that Azerbaijan flourishes not only economically, but also spiritually," he said.

"The current summit shows that there is something to learn from Azerbaijan, and that this experience can be adopted and carried with dignity all over the world," Pimanov summed up.

Notably, the Second Summit of World Religious Leaders took place in Baku on November 14-15. It is timed to the 70th birthday of the chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade and the 40th anniversary of his tenure as the CMO chairman. The summit was attended by nearly 200 leaders of traditional religions from different countries.