Baku, June 22, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received ambassadors of the Muslim countries to the country on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The head of state made a speech at the event.

Welcoming the meeting participants, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Ambassadors, my warm greetings to all of you.

Our meetings in the month of Ramadan have become traditional, and I am very glad to see you all.

Please convey my sincere greetings and good wishes to the heads of state and government of the countries you represent.

Azerbaijan has very close ties with the countries you represent. We cooperate extensively in the bilateral format, and this cooperation is deepening with each passing day. We are interested in further developing our political, economic and cultural relations with Muslim countries. At the same time, we successfully cooperate and support each other within international organizations. In particular, our cooperation in the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is at a very high level.

In recent years, our relations with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have developed even more. In April and May, I had meetings with the Secretary General of the organization in Jeddah and Baku. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation notes the successful development of Azerbaijan and acknowledges the work carried out by our country. And we, as an active member of the organization, are trying to further strengthen the solidarity between our countries. In general, Azerbaijan's position is that Muslim solidarity must be strengthened and Muslim countries should provide each other with even more support. The need for this support is particularly high in issues of concern to our countries. We are seeing this support. In particular, Muslim countries support the position of Azerbaijan in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the UN too, the vast majority of countries support our position. And the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has repeatedly adopted resolutions in connection with the conflict. They reflect reality, justice, international law and the position of Azerbaijan. I would like to once again express my gratitude to the countries-members of the organization for their support.

The unresolved status of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict represents the biggest source of threat to the region. As you know, the territorial integrity of our country has been violated by Armenia for many years. Over a million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and IDPs on their native lands. The Khojaly genocide has been perpetrated against our people. All buildings on the occupied lands have been razed to the ground. Armenian vandals have destroyed our mosques, razed them to the ground. But when we return to these lands, we will restore our historical and religious monuments. The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved on the basis of norms and principles of international law and in line with UN Security Council resolutions. Armenia flagrantly violates the norms of international law and does not comply with UN Security Council resolutions. However, truth and justice, including historical justice, as well as international law, support our position. Justice will be restored and Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity.

In the time since the last holiday our country has witnessed a very significant event. The largest mosque in the country, the Heydar mosque, has been built and commissioned in Baku. The Azerbaijani state treats its historical past and historical monuments with great care and attention. All our historic mosques are being refurbished and restored. Our ancient and modern religious monuments are the heritage of the entire Muslim world. One of the oldest mosques in the world, the Shamakhi mosque, is located in Azerbaijan. It was built in 743. It is an architectural masterpiece. One of the newest mosques in the world, the Heydar mosque, was built in Baku in 2014. This mosque is also a work of art and beautiful architecture. In other words, this once again reflects the respect of our country for the past and our people’s attitude to their religion.

We will continue to try to strengthen the solidarity among Muslim countries. Two years later Baku will host Islamic Solidarity Games. I am sure that these Games will further bring all Muslim countries together.

Dear Ambassadors, I welcome you once again and wish you every success in your work.

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Then Iraqi Ambassador to Azerbaijan Heydar Shiya Gubeyshi Al-Barrak addressed the meeting.

In conclusion, a picture was taken.