Muslim religious leaders from Turkic states visit Karabakh

Participants of an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to Seyid Yahya Bakuvi visited Karabakh as part of the seventh meeting of heads of Muslim religious administrations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member countries in Baku.

According to Report's correspondent dispatched to Aghdam, the visit was organized by the Caucasus Muslims' Board and included a special event at the Aghdam Juma Mosque.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims' Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada said the Aghdam Juma Mosque had been remembered as a "martyr mosque" during the First Karabakh War.

"Many mothers' cries remain within these walls. I was also at the mosque during those events. Karabakh is now being rebuilt, religious sites are being restored, and new mosques are being constructed and opened for worship. This is very encouraging," Pashazadeh said.

Emin Huseynov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the Aghdam, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts, said that Aghdam, once described as a symbol of destruction and sorrow and known as the "Hiroshima of the Caucasus," has now become a symbol of peace, security and confidence in the future.

Hamed Shahriari, Secretary General of the International Assembly for the Rapprochement of Islamic Schools of Thought, called for peace and stability in the region and around the world.

"We hope that lasting peace will soon be achieved in the South Caucasus as well," Shahriari said.

Fatih Mehmet Karaca, a representative from Türkiye, said the gathering of Muslim religious leaders from OTS member states was an initiative expressing hope and confidence in the future.

"I thank Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for reopening the Aghdam Juma Mosque for worship. The mosque is a symbol, but the main issue is the restoration and reconstruction of the history destroyed in the region," Karaca said.

Uzbekistan's Mufti Nuriddin Khaliqnazar expressed satisfaction on behalf of Uzbek Muslims that the Aghdam Juma Mosque had returned to its community.

"This mosque and this land witnessed the tears of many innocent people and were liberated at the cost of the blood of martyrs," he said.

Khaliqnazar also highlighted the relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, saying the two countries are not only friends and brothers but also allies.

He expressed hope that the friendship and alliance between the two countries would continue permanently.