Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations of Azerbaijan Ramin Mammadov participated in the opening ceremony of "20th UN Day of Vesak"

Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations of Azerbaijan Ramin Mammadov participated in the opening ceremony of "20th UN Day of Vesak", held on May 6 in Ho Chi Minh City of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

President of Vietnam Luong Cuong, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Disanayake, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia Net Savoeun delivered speeches at the event. A video message from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was presented.

The Chairman of the State Committee spoke about the importance of correctly defining the role of religion in public life and international relations, preventing the use of religion for political purposes, and strengthening cooperation between civilizations. He noted that complex social and political processes are taking place in the modern world. Ethnic and religious conflicts, racism, religious radicalism, and xenophobia are on the rise. Calls for peace and solidarity of religions and initiatives serving inter-civilizational dialogue are of great importance against such threats.

Drawing attention to the multiculturalism model of Azerbaijan, Ramin Mammadov said that our country demonstrates a unique approach based on religious diversity and mutual respect. He noted that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, tolerance and multiculturalism are accepted as priorities of state policy in the religious sphere in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani people, who have held freedom of conscience in high esteem throughout history, have enriched their traditions of coexistence with people of different religious beliefs and created a model of tolerance that can serve as an example to the whole world. In modern times, the promotion of this model on an international scale has become one of the main directions of Azerbaijan's state policy

Ramin Mammadov noted that prestigious events such as the traditional World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, the International Humanitarian Forum and the Summit of World Religious Leaders held in Baku play an important role in the development of intercultural relations. The Chairman of the Committee emphasized that our country is a loyal partner in international efforts in the field of global peace, human rights and sustainable development.