No:420/23, Press release on the participation of Deputy Minister Fariz Rzayev in the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
01 August 2023 17:45
On 31 July 2023, an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held in a virtual format. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Fariz Rzayev represented our country at the event held in connection with cases of insult and burning of the Holy Quran in a number of countries.
Deputy Minister Fariz Rzayev delivered a speech at the event and emphasized that cases of burning and insulting the Holy Quran have been allowed in foreign countries, that irresponsible acts such as presenting this under the name of freedom of expression are unacceptable, and called on the relevant state institutions to fight against Islamophobia.
In addition, in his speech, F. Rzayev emphasized the facts that Azerbaijan has become a victim of Islamophobia since gaining its independence, and that during the occupation of 20% of our territories by Armenia, Armenian forces destroyed numerous mosques, madrasas and symbols of our Islamic heritage. Nevertheless, it was noted that Azerbaijan promotes the values of multiculturalism and tolerance instead of hatred and violence, and in this regard, Azerbaijan regularly hosts a number of high-level events as an intercultural and interreligious platform.
At the end of the extraordinary meeting, a relevant resolution on the matter was adopted.