CAUCASIAN MUSLIMS OFFICE CHAIRMAN MEETS U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO OIC

Baku, 21 November,(AzerTAj) Chairman of Caucasian Muslims Office Sheikulislam Allahshukur Pashazade met Friday with visiting U.S. special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Sada Cumber.

Allahshukur Pashazade briefed Sada Cumber on the events happened in his country at
the beginning of the 1990s and accomplishments achieved after national leader Heydar
Aliyev came to power.
According to Pashazade, numerous religious measures were held in Azerbaijan after
the country joined the OIC.
The Azerbaijani Government ensures all people`s freedom of conscience irrespective
of their language, religion and nationality.
On the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Sheikulislam said in the wake of Armenians`
aggression towards Azerbaijan 20 percent of the country`s territories were occupied
and more than 1 million people were driven from their homes.
He also added Azerbaijan supports peaceful settlement of the dispute.
Sada Cumber, in turn, praised the high level of religious tolerance and
inter-religious relations he eye-witnessed in Azerbaijan. He described Azerbaijan as
an example of religious tolerance. According to Cumber, there are about 2 thousands
of mosques in the United States for approximately 7 million Muslims to pray.
As in Azerbaijan, every person in the U.S. enjoys the right to pray without any
interference.
Cumber said after his appointment as a special envoy to OIC he visited the
organization`s 26 member countries where he held meetings to discuss inter-religious
dialogue, civil society building and other issues.
-0-