President Aliyev: Azerbaijan to work to unite Muslim world as single family

Azerbaijan will use its upcoming presidency of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to promote greater unity, peace and reconciliation across the Muslim world, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said.

“For our part, we will do everything in our power to unite the Muslim world as a single family, put an end to all unnecessary disputes, and halt confrontations,” the Azerbaijani leader said during a meeting with participants of international conferences in Baku, Caliber.Az reports per state media.

He added that Azerbaijan also intended to confront efforts aimed at creating divisions within the Muslim world, saying that “those elements seeking to divide us—and, in doing so, aiming to strike a blow against the religion of Islam—will be put in their place.”

Aliyev expressed confidence that the OIC summit to be held in Azerbaijan next year would produce positive results. He said Baku hoped that ongoing processes, misunderstandings and, in some cases, conflicts between Muslim countries would have been resolved by the time of the summit.

The Azerbaijani president said developments taking place in the Muslim world were a matter of concern for everyone and stressed that Azerbaijan had consistently sought to strengthen Islamic solidarity through practical actions and its work

“In Azerbaijan, we have always strived—and will continue to strive—to strengthen Islamic solidarity through practical actions and our work,” the head of state added.

He also highlighted the role of Muslim religious leaders in promoting peace and reconciliation. According to the president, their statements carry particular importance for Muslim communities, especially when they encourage peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

“Every word spoken by Muslim religious leaders is, of course, very valuable and precious to Muslim communities,” he said.

Aliyev stressed that calls for peace, cooperation, tranquillity and reconciliation could contribute to stability across the regions where Muslim communities live.

“If these words are directed to peace, cooperation, tranquility, and reconciliation, it means that peace and tranquility will also prevail in the regions where we live,” the president said.

Turning to Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, Aliyev said the country had produced numerous prominent poets, thinkers and cultural figures who had made major contributions to world culture.

He pointed to figures spanning several centuries, including Nizami Ganjavi and Khagani Shirvani in the 12th century, Imadaddin Nasimi in the 14th century, Yahya Bakuvi in the 15th century, and Shah Ismail Khatai and Muhammad Fuzuli in the 16th century.

“Simply listing their names demonstrates how rich our people and our land are in talent—Nizami Ganjavi and Khagani Shirvani in the 12th century, Imadaddin Nasimi in the 14th century, Yahya Bakuvi in the 15th century, and Shah Ismail Khatai and Muhammad Fuzuli in the 16th century. In other words, each of them represents a vast universe,” Aliyev said.

Additionally, Aliyev also addressed Azerbaijan's experience of conflict and the country's efforts to overcome its consequences, referring to the destruction and displacement experienced during the years of occupation.

“All our cities and villages located in Garabagh and East Zangezur were razed to the ground. Ethnic cleansing was carried out against our people. Nearly one million Azerbaijanis were displaced from their native lands as a result of the ethnic cleansing policy of the Armenian state,” Aliyev said.

He argued that major states supporting Armenia had sought to prolong the conflict rather than resolve it, saying their military, economic and political backing had effectively rewarded the aggressor.

“Major states supporting Armenia sought not to resolve the issue, but to prolong it and make the occupation permanent. By providing military, economic, and political support to Armenia, these states were effectively rewarding the aggressor,” the president said.

Aliyev said the Azerbaijani people ultimately brought an end to this injustice and established a global precedent by liberating occupied territories.

“The Azerbaijani people put an end to this injustice and established a global precedent. Because until then, occupied lands, unfortunately, were not being liberated. At any rate, such instances were not encountered in the 20th and 21st centuries, or were encountered only on very rare occasions,” the president emphasised.

By Sabina Mammadli