TO ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS OF AZERBAIJAN
I offer to you my heartfelt congratulations on Easter, and best wishes for your good health, happiness and festive mood.
Christian World has always marked with great pleasure the Easter holiday, which allows people to join exalted moral values of humanity. Like other religious holidays, this one has always called people to mercy, sincerity, friendship, fraternity and solidarity for centuries.
In Azerbaijan, the country of historically peaceful coexistence of the world religions, there have never been problems on religious basis, but relations of genuine friendship between different religious confessions.
Since restoration of state independence of Azerbaijan, Easter holiday has been widely celebrated by our orthodox citizens, that is another graphic evidence of religious tolerance between the people irrespective of their language, religion and ethnic belongings.
The tolerance prevailed here due to mutual respect to religious and moral values of all nations living in Azerbaijan, and the possibilities created for free activities of all confessions, indicates accuracy and viability of the conception of state-religion relationship, whose foundation was laid by our nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev.
I believe that in the name of strengthening independent Azerbaijan, you and our orthodox fellow-citizens will further take every effort to solve important tasks of the country to reach definitive consolidation of civil solidarity in our society.
These spring days, I wish all your sincere hopes to come true, and your families peace and well-being.
Happy Easter!
Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, April 10 2004
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