ASTANA – UN ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS

In the Name of the Almighty Creator!

His Excellency Mr. Maulen Ashimbayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions!

His Excellency the Honorable Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations!

Dear participants of the event!

We are all witnesses to the valuable activities of the Alliance of Civilizations and the respected Astana Congresses, whose two decades of work have inspired us with their achievements in dialogue for the sake of humanity. I sincerely greet all of you at today's special session, which is the product of our joint cooperation, and I ask the Almighty Creator for its success.
I wholeheartedly support the idea of holding this meeting and would like to emphasize its extraordinary importance. In the current era, where manifestations of xenophobia and hate speech inciting conflict on national, religious, and racial grounds are increasing, ideas of peaceful coexistence, a culture of mutual understanding, inter-civilizational and inter-religious dialogue, and multiculturalism are of particular significance for solving global problems related to peace and the future. As President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, has stated, inter-civilizational and intercultural dialogue is one of the most urgent tasks in the world. It is commendable that the UN Alliance of Civilizations always keeps this important direction in its focus. I particularly note the valuable efforts of His Excellency Mr. Moratinos, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, and I ask the Almighty Creator for blessings upon his noble activities for the sake of humanity.
Honorable participants! The challenges of the modern era place serious tasks before humanity. As a result of the ideological influence of hatred, there is an increase in instances of desecrating the sacred values and attributes of religions, and religion is being misused for political purposes. We strongly condemn any manifestations of radicalism and xenophobia under the guise of freedom of speech and religion, especially acts of terrorism and vandalism against the sacred sites, values, and attributes of religions, as well as cultural heritage samples and monuments. We call for an end to the bloody conflicts that cause the massacre of innocent people in all hotspots of the world, especially in the Middle East and Gaza, for the silencing of weapons, for an end to the destruction of tangible and intangible heritage and religious sites, and to the countless migrant tragedies. We support the peaceful resolution of problems in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.
The purpose of today's special session serves the important goal of sharing the best national and international practices in the protection of religious sites and presenting concrete recommendations at the Eighth Astana Congress. As you know, Azerbaijan restored its internationally recognized territorial integrity and sovereignty precisely in accordance with the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions. Today, the Azerbaijani state, remaining faithful to our multicultural traditions, is restoring and rebuilding national and religious-spiritual heritage samples, as well as monuments belonging to all religions—mosques and temples—that were destroyed and desecrated by acts of vandalism in our liberated territories. We have always felt the support of the UN Alliance of Civilizations for our work in restoring and protecting religious-spiritual heritage in our territories subjected to "culturcide," and we are extremely grateful for this.
Honorable participants! To solve global problems, it is necessary to rely on universal moral values in addition to the norms of international law. We discussed this in detail at the UN Alliance of Civilizations jubilee forum in Cascais last year. I highly value today's joint special session of the Alliance of Civilizations and the Astana Congress, which have been formed as effective platforms for dialogue and cooperation with their rich and valuable experiences. I once again express my deep gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Maulen Ashimbayev and His Excellency the Honorable Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos for these important initiatives. I wish success to the event and ask our Almighty Lord for favor in our efforts for the sake of human interests. May the Almighty Creator protect the Earth and humanity! AMEN!