Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshuqur Pasha-zade sign a joint declaration
8.07.2002 · English, Архив 2002
PATRIARCH ALEXY OF MOSCOW AND SHEIKH-UL-ISLAM ALLAHSHUQUR PASHA-ZADE SIGN A JOINT DECLARATION
A meeting took place on June 7, 2002, between a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and a delegation of the supreme Religious Council of the Caucuses Peoples led by its chairman, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allhshuqur Pasha-zade, chairman of the Muslim Board for the Caucasus, at the Synodal residence in St. Daniel’s monastery.
The Russian Orthodox Church delegation included Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Archbishop Arseny of Istra, bishop Alexander of Baku and Prikaspijsk, Archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov), father superior of St. Daniel’s monastery, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Protodeacon Vladimir Nazarkin, DECR protocol chief, and Mr. Roman Silantyev, DECR secretariat for church-state relations and executive secretary of the Interreligious Council in Russia.
In delegation of the Supreme Council of the Caucasus Peoples included Salman Musaev, first deputy head of the Muslim Board for the Caucasus, Eldar Mikaelov, vice-chairman of the Borad, Khan-Ali Babaev, chief jurist of the Board, Nagi Ali ogly Gurbanov, councilor mmi9nister of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Russia.
The delegations discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest and wider dimension. They stated a community of opinions on the need to overcome problems arising in the Caucasus by peaceful means.
As a result of the meeting the heads of the delegations signed a Joint Declaration.
As His Holiness Patriarch Alexy stated, the document signed reflected the good relations of mutual understanding and cooperation that were established historically between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Caucasus Muslim community. “These relations have developed for many years. They have stood the test of time and accumulated an experience of peacemaking efforts made by spiritual leaders of the religions in the interests of all people regardless of their confessional affiliation”, he underlined.
His Holiness recalled with gratitude the warm welcome the Russian Orthodox Church delegation and he himself were accorded by religious leaders, governmental officials, public figures and ordinary people during their visit to Azerbaijan in 2001.
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshuqur Pasha-zade, in his turn, noted that in Azerbaijan where Muslims and Orthodox Christians, Russians and Azeri live in harmony and mutual respect, the extensive peace work of the Primate of the Russian Church gained him universal sincere love and gratitude.
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