International conference "Religion-freedom-tolerance"

The concept of tolerance of a liberal society is the balance between human rights and religious freedom. Freedom of religion should not be aimed at the violation of human rights. This was the leitmotif of the international conference "Religion , Freedom , Tolerance" , organized by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the Research Foundation "Constitution" at the Park Inn.

The conference was attended by local and international experts, representatives of NGOs, religious communities, and government agencies.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation wants to contribute to the development of the South Caucasus in a free society, democratic institutions, rule of law, secular freedoms, human rights, and effective market economy. "We believe that the successful transformation of the three South Caucasus countries is the basic condition for the development and prosperity than individual states, the South Caucasus," said the regional director of the Foundation for Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and Central Asia, Rene Cluff.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation believes that there can be no development in societies where there is a gross violation of human rights and limited access to the broad masses of the social and institutional infrastructure. "That is why, regardless of their religious, cultural and traditional differences,  the primary mission of the Foundation is freedom in the country, the economy and society," said the regional director. "The idea of freedom is not directed against the believers. Tolerance is an important part of the culture. Azerbaijani society accepts different religions and cultures. There have never been such cases of anti-Semitism in the country," added Rene Cluff.

According to head of the international relations department of the State Committee for Work with Religious Communities Nijat Mammadov, even in remote areas of the country from the window of a mosque a synagogue is visible and vice versa. Sunnis and Shiites pray together in the mosque. According to him, the Committee carries out the policy of joint co-existence of different cultures and religions. The head of the Center for the "East -West" Arastun Orujlu, noted that refugees from the royal Russian Old Believers have settled in Azerbaijan, whose ancestors still live in Azerbaijan and confess their faith. 

Speakers at the conference were also Lutherans, who live in Georgia and Azerbaijan. In Baku, Tbilisi and operates a small Lutheran church, said the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hans -Joachim Kiderlen.-03C04-