Baku to host Muslim Council of Elders summit next year

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade has received Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders Mohamed Abdelsalam, Report informs referring to the CMO.

Sheikh-ul-Islam expressed satisfaction with another meeting with the secretary general, emphasized the important steps taken by the Muslim Council of Elders under the leadership of Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Imam Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, in ensuring unity in the Islamic world and creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding between religions in the world, and asked to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to His Excellency Ahmed El-Tayeb.

The CMO chairman said that at the annual meeting of this authoritative organization, of which he is a member, several months ago, important decisions were made that determine future directions of activity.

Recalling the Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference held in February this year in the capital of Bahrain, Manama, under the slogan "One Nation, One Shared Destiny," Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade noted that at this event, one of the organizers of which was the Muslim Council of Elders, religious tolerance in Azerbaijan and positive experience in the field of interfaith understanding were recognized as an exemplary model. According to Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, this is another striking example of international recognition of the successful continuation of relations between religion and the state by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the foundations of which were laid by the national leader Heydar Aliyev.

Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade noted that the summit of the Muslim Council of Elders will be held in Baku next year, and this is a manifestation of the great importance that Azerbaijan attaches to interreligious and intercultural understanding, interfaith dialogue.

Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders Mohamed Abdelsalam expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to convey greetings from the head of the organization, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Imam Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, to Allahshukur Pashazade.

He thanked Sheikh-ul-Islam for his contribution to the organization’s activities with his valuable advice. Speaking about the meeting with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the secretary general expressed confidence in the continuation of ties between the organization he represents and the Catholic Church. According to him, a meeting between Pope Leo XIV and members of the Muslim Council of Elders is planned for the Vatican in the near future.

This meeting, which will also be attended by Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, can be an important step in continuing mutual understanding between religions in the world. During the conversation, other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.