The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church meets with the chairman of the Moslem Board for the Caucasus

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia met with Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshuqur Pasha-zade on September 15, 2005, in the residence of the Chairman of the Moslem Board for the Caucasus.

Participating in the meeting were also Azerbaijani Prime Minister Arthur Rasi-zade, Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis Chairman Murtuz Alekserov, Moscow Patriarchate Chancellor Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, Bishop Alexander of Baku and Prikaspijsk, as well as scholars and cultural figures.

The head of the Caucasian Moslems warmly welcomed His Holiness the Patriarch, noting in particular that the decoration of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church with the highest award of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Order of Glory, speaks of the acknowledgement of his peacemaking work and efforts for developing the interreligious dialogue. He also said that the second visit by Patriarch Alexy to Azerbaijan for the last four years demonstrated the respect that His Holiness had for Azerbaijan and its people.

Patriarch Alexy, in his turn, said that he remembered his visit to Azerbaijan in 2001 with warmth and thanked Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshuqur Pasha-zade for the invitation to visit the blessed Azerbaijani land again.

His Holiness congratulated Allahshuqur Pasha-zade on the 25^th anniversary of his work as head of the Caucasian Moslems.

Having noted that the past years were marked with economic and political upheavals, His Holiness said, ‘Both at that time and today you have served with dignity… You were and remain the most respected Moslem leader in the CIS vast lands’.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy awarded the head of the Caucasus Moslems the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, First Degree.

‘High assessment should be also given to your efforts in the struggle against pseudo-religious extremism, which has become a serious threat to the security of our nations in recent years’, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said, adding, ‘Almost all the CIS countries, whose populations confess such traditional religions as Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism, have become objects of expansion by spiritual forces alien to our cultures. We are also concerned for the continued attempts to involve the confessions in political struggle, to use them as cover for dubious manipulations’.

Having pointed to the need for religious leaders to unite their efforts in solving socially significant problems, His Holiness emphasized that the CIS Interreligious Council, established the previous year, became a visible form of cooperation among the traditional religions. The election of the head of the Caucasus Moslems as cochairman of this organization by unanimous vote points to the fact that the religious leaders acknowledge the contribution made by Allahshuqur Pasha-zade to the cooperation among the religions, the primate of the Russian Church believes.

The Patriarch expressed the conviction that ‘the state of the interreligious dialogue in Azerbaijan can be a good example of Moslem-Christian cooperation’ and thanked Allahshuqur Pasha-zade for the support he has given to the Baky diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

‘In recent years, religious leaders have made a growing influence on the resolution of conflicts’, His Holiness the Patriarch noted. In his opinion, the trilateral and quadrilateral meetings among religious leaders in Russia and new independent states in the Caucasus have helped to achieve a cease-fire in Nagorny Karabakh. His Holiness expressed hope for a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the head of the Caucasus Moslems signed a declaration the adoption of which crowned the official program of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II to Azerbaijan.