​Committee Deputy Chairman: Ilham Aliyev's declaring of 2016 as a year of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan is commendable

"There are several trends that could harm the tolerant environment in Azerbaijan"

Baku. 11 January. REPORT.AZ/ "President Ilham Aliyev's announcement of 2016 as year of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan is commendable."

Report informs, deputy chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, Sayyad Aran said Monday.

According to him, tolerance is one of the mental qualities of Azerbaijani people: "From immemorial times our country has been populated by representatives of different religions. History shows that at all times our people respected representatives of different nationalities and people preaching other religions. Traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance in Azerbaijan are connected with national character of the people. As you know, the Jews have been living in Azerbaijan for 2,600 years. The Azerbaijani state respects representatives of various religious communities and faiths in our country. In 2015, the state allocated 480,000 AZN for non-Islamic communities to strengthen their operations. Of course, these funds are provided from 2,500,000 AZN allocated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for strengthening their activities and educational traditions in the country. The multicultural environment and tolerance prevailing in the country attract attention of many countries in the world."

According to S.Aran, there are several trends that could harm the multicultural environment and tolerance in Azerbaijan: We are fighting against such kind of people".

S.Aran added that 'Jehovah's Witnesses' and some other trends show indifference to the laws of Azerbaijan: "These people have not only failed to fulfill their obligations as believers, but also deal with things they should not be concerned of. Azerbaijan is a country which is open to the world. We urge everyone to comply with the laws of the state."