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Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim! (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful!)

Your Excellency Mr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO!

Esteemed Mr. Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan!

His Eminence Nuriddin Kholiknazar, esteemed Mufti of Uzbekistan!

Mr. Erol Kılıç, Director-General of IRCICA!

Praise be to Allah the Almighty, who has granted us the blessing of coming together with dear and beloved brothers on the blessed soil of Uzbekistan! On this joyous day, it is a great honor for me to convey the greetings and most sincere wishes of the brotherly Azerbaijani people and of His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan — brother of the leader of the Uzbek people — to His Excellency President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and to the entire Uzbek nation.

By the Grace of Almighty Allah, it is the enlightened and mighty people who have made the Uzbek land blessed — those who, over the centuries, raised high the torch of Islamic enlightenment and drew seekers of knowledge and wisdom from the most diverse corners of the world to this sacred place. The greatest contribution Uzbekistan has bestowed upon the world's science of hadith is Imam Bukhari and his legacy. The Bukhari mausoleum is, without doubt, one of Uzbekistan's most significant sites — both as a place of religious pilgrimage and as part of its historical and cultural heritage. As sacred as this place is for every Uzbek, it is equally dear and precious to every Muslim.

Since Uzbekistan is my second homeland, I visit this place with special affection — as a Sheikh ul-Islam and as a religious figure who was nurtured in Uzbekistan's scholarly and religious environment. In my youth, I took part in the restoration of this mausoleum, which had suffered the vandalism of the atheist regime. I feel profound happiness that the prayers offered in those days — by my teachers, my fellow students, and myself — for the revival of this place and for its elevation to the heights it deserves have been answered. I am certain that the souls of my departed teachers and fellow students rejoice today! We are honored to express our deep respect and gratitude to His Excellency President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, leader of the Uzbek people, who has made these aspirations a reality, raised the name of Samarkand to the skies, transformed the Bukhari mausoleum into a magnificent complex worthy of its sanctity, and established the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. It is the good fortune of the Uzbek people to have such a wise leader of lofty spirituality as Shavkat Mirziyoyev — a leader who safeguards their values. It is a Divine blessing that the Uzbek people, with their great strength of faith, as well as the countries that are friends and brothers of Uzbekistan, witness this progress and hold it in high esteem. Praise be to Allah, the torch of Islamic enlightenment is in reliable hands!

It is gratifying that the work carried out in Uzbekistan in the field of religious enlightenment is bearing beautiful fruit. In this regard, special mention must be made of the valuable services and commendable work of Uzbekistan's religious authority — the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan — and, in particular, of my dear brother, His Eminence Mufti Nuriddin Kholiknazar. As Muslim religious leaders within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, we take pleasure in contributing to the realization of all the efforts and endeavors of our esteemed heads of state in the cultural and spiritual sphere. Our next, seventh, meeting will take place in Baku this September, insha'Allah. During that meeting, we intend to hold an international conference devoted to the legacy of yet another Islamic thinker — Seyyid Yahya Bakuvi.

I sincerely congratulate the brotherly Uzbek people on the magnificent work being done — work worthy of this sacred heritage — to make known throughout the world such treasured figures as Imam Bukhari, Imam Tirmidhi, and Imam Maturidi, an inexhaustible treasure for the entire Islamic world, and to add further glory to the renown of Samarkand, the land of great thinkers. The fundamental work Uzbekistan is carrying out is acclaimed on the international stage, and the legacy of Islamic thinkers is being promoted from the rostrum of the United Nations. In particular, through the efforts of ICESCO, Uzbekistan and the unparalleled contributions it has bestowed upon the Islamic world are being presented to humanity with great reverence as a universal treasure. We express our special thanks to the Center for Islamic Civilization and to IRCICA for their valuable contribution to this work. With a feeling of gratitude, I offer my blessings to every person who has labored for the realization of the ideas of the Third Renaissance in Uzbekistan — state officials, the academic community, and religious figures. I pray for the continued success of the deeds — pleasing to Allah Almighty — of the leader of Uzbekistan, our brotherly and allied state, His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev. May Allah the Almighty protect the Azerbaijani and Uzbek peoples, and may He forever grant victory to our wise heads of state, insha'Allah! Amin!