Shusha hosts inaugural Meeting of Heads of State Bodies Responsible for Religious Affairs of OTS
Shusha, June 30, AZERTAC
The 1st Meeting of the Heads of State Bodies Responsible for Religious Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Shusha, Azerbaijan, on June 30.
The event brought together the OTS Secretary General and heads of state bodies responsible for religious affairs from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
In his remarks, Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations of Azerbaijan, noted that the event contributes significantly to enhancing relations by establishing the institutional basis for multifaceted cooperation among the OTS state bodies responsible for religious affairs.
According to him, the OTS currently positions itself as an important platform for advancing regional stability and international cooperation.
Ramin Mammadov emphasized the importance of combating existing global challenges—including religious radicalism, extremism, Islamophobia, calls for religious hatred, and attempts at ideological manipulation—solely through coordinated efforts.
Addressing the event, Kubanychbek Omuraliev, OTS Secretary General, highlighted that the establishment of a new mechanism for cooperation in the field of religious affairs marks an important step in implementing the Turkic World Vision 2040 and further strengthening institutional cooperation across the Turkic World. He noted that the OTS now coordinates cooperation through 60 mechanisms and areas covering a wide range of fields, including religious affairs.
The Secretary General emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation among Member States through the exchange of experience, policy coordination, capacity building, and joint efforts to preserve the common spiritual and cultural heritage of the Turkic World, promote a balanced understanding of religion, and counter extremism and radicalization. He also underlined the importance of supporting youth, academic cooperation, and collaboration with international organizations to promote dialogue, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence.
Other speakers included Safi Arpaguş, Head of Türkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs; Rustam Ali, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Talantbek Tashybekov, Chairman of the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations under the President of Kyrgyzstan; and Sodiq Toshboev, Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs of Uzbekistan.
The meeting further explored promoting Islamic solidarity, as well as enhancing expertise sharing in combating religious radicalism and extremism.
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