FM: Azerbaijan restoring religious, cultural heritage destroyed by Armenia PHOTO

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with ISESCO Director General Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik on October 3.

The cooperation issues between Azerbaijan and ISESCO, as well as the regional situation, were discussed at the meeting, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry told Caliber.Az.

Bayramov reminded that since the restoration of independence, Azerbaijan has been closely cooperating with ISESCO in such spheres as promoting intercultural dialogue, combating racial discrimination and Islamophobia, and expressed confidence that the opening of the ISESCO regional centre in Azerbaijan will contribute to the further development of relations. Shusha was chosen by ISESCO as the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World in 2024.

Having informed the opposite side about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, as well as about Azerbaijan’s peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts, Bayramov said that Azerbaijan is taking practical steps to restore the religious and cultural heritage destroyed by Armenia during the conflict that lasted almost 30 years. The double standards faced by Azerbaijan during the conflict and in the post-conflict period were highlighted.

The minister stated that attempts to connect religion with the former conflict are unacceptable, adding that such steps do not contribute to peace and stability in the region. Despite all the existing difficulties and challenges, Azerbaijan is determined to advance the agenda to normalise ties and establish peace, as well as the process of reintegration of the Garabagh Armenians.

Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik stated that ISESCO is interested in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan and emphasised the importance of further efforts to strengthen ties.