Patriarch: Azerbaijan, Russia have same positions in anti-terrorism fight

he positions of Azerbaijan and Russia in the fight against terrorism are the same, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said.

He was addressing the participants of the international conference “Traditions of religious tolerance in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan’s model of multiculturalism,” which opened in Baku on December 1.

The Patriarch stressed successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, and noted that he supports the work being done on the peaceful settlement of the NagornoKarabakh conflict.

Patriarch Kirill highly assessed the activities of the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Your work as a religious leader for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is indispensable. You for a long time work towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict,” the Patriarch noted.

He added that religious leaders should work together to prevent terrorist events occurring in the modern world.

The “Traditions of religious tolerance in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan’s model of multiculturalism” conference brought together members of the Supreme religious council of Caucasus nations, state and religious figures, representatives of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches, and ambassadors of different countries.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged as a reslut of Armenia's territorial claims to Azerbaijani territories in 1988.

Since the 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.