This conference, attended by the Advisor to His Majesty the King, André Azoulay, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom, Nazim Samadov, and religious and cultural figures from within and outside Morocco, aims to shed light on the challenges that hinder the achievement of religious coexistence at the global level, while emphasising the importance of promoting mutual respect and coexistence through dialogue, in light of the conflict, intolerance, and disagreement that have resulted from the misunderstanding of religion or culture.
Participants in this conference, organised in partnership with the State Committee for Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Rabat, discuss the role of religion in building peaceful societies, the implementation of dialogue between followers of religions as a tool for conflict resolution, and cultural/civilisational diplomacy through the use by states of their cultural diversity as a strength to promote peace, in addition to introducing the Azerbaijani model in promoting peaceful coexistence between followers of religions.
In a speech on the occasion, the Director-General of ICESCO, Salim M. AlMalik, said that the radical transformations affecting the international social system have imposed great responsibilities on everyone, because the security and peace of the world is a matter that necessarily requires human partnership and collective responsibility.
In the same context, he highlighted the organisation's efforts in fulfilling its role in promoting coexistence and dialogue between religions and cultures, through its various activities, programmes, and projects, as well as encouraging the concept of civilisational diplomacy as a new tool for resolving conflicts of cultural origin.
Mr. AlMalik stressed the importance of the subject of this international conference, expressing his hope that it would lead to effective recommendations that contribute to creating harmony, coexistence, and peace between religions and cultures.
For his part, the Chairman of the State Committee for Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ramin Mammadov, highlighted that this international meeting, in which experts and scholars from all over the world are participating, aims to discuss the main issues and challenges related to peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance at the regional and international levels, in a world characterised by cultural, religious, and civilisational pluralism.
After noting that his country has managed to "overcome the dilemmas" resulting from the diversity and multiplicity of cultures, religions, and sects, Mr. Mammadov pointed out that this conference constitutes an opportunity for participants to benefit from Azerbaijan's experience in establishing coexistence and tolerance between different religions and cultures.
In turn, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Rafael Huseynov, paused at experiences from history that "until recently embodied the values of tolerance and coexistence between followers of different religions," questioning the reasons for the "lack of activation of the mechanisms that guaranteed this coexistence at the present time."
Mr. Huseynov called for the concerted efforts of various actors at the international level, with the aim of establishing dialogue and peace, pointing out that the shortest way to achieve this lies in establishing harmony between religions and cultures.
The conference programme, which spans the day, includes several discussion topics, most notably: "The role of religion in building peaceful societies," "Challenges of promoting religious coexistence," "Dialogue between followers of religions as a tool for conflict resolution," and "The role of cultural and civilisational diplomacy in promoting peace," in addition to organising an exhibition entitled: "Common humanity, followers of diverse religions," to highlight religious diversity and tolerance in Azerbaijan.
