On September 15, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation comprising members and observers of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), co-organizers of the Yahya Bakuvi International Conference, and members of the Supreme Religious Council of Caucasian Peoples.

The delegation included Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan Nauryzbay Taganuly, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan Abdulaziz Zakirov, President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs of Türkiye Safi Arpaguş, Chairman of the Administration of Muslims of Uzbekistan Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Turkmenistan Rahman Gurbanmyradov, President of Religious Affairs of Northern Cyprus Hakan Moral, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Mohamed Abdelsalam, Director General of IRCICA (Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture) Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Chechen Republic and Chairman of the Coordination Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus Salah-Haji Mezhiev, Secretary-General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy Sayyed Abu Al-Qasim Al-Dibaji, Qadi of the Caucasus Muslims Office for the North Caucasus and Imam of the Derbent Juma Mosque Shagabitdin Kerimov, Sheikh of the All-Georgia Muslims Department Faig Nabiyev, Mufti of Eastern Georgia Etibar Eminov, Mufti of Western Georgia Adam Shantadze, Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought Hamid Shahriari, and Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) of Syria Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri.

The head of state addressed the event.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

I warmly greet you all. I say to our guests: “Welcome to Azerbaijan!”

These days, the 7th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is being held in Baku. This in itself is a major international event. At the same time, an international conference dedicated to the great poet and thinker Sayyid Yahya Bakuvi is taking place in Baku, and many of our guests are participating in this conference.

The simultaneous holding of these two events in Baku carries great significance. We are always proud of our brilliant figures, thinkers, and poets. Sayyid Yahya Bakuvi is one of them. Having lived and created in the 15th century, Yahya Bakuvi left a very profound legacy.

The Azerbaijani people have given many brilliant personalities, poets, and thinkers to world culture. Simply listing their names demonstrates how rich our people and our land are in talent—Nizami Ganjavi and Khagani Shirvani in the 12th century, Imadaddin Nasimi in the 14th century, Yahya Bakuvi in the 15th century, and Shah Ismail Khatai and Muhammad Fuzuli in the 16th century. In other words, each of them represents a vast universe. The heritage they left behind—their historical and cultural legacy—is of immense value today to us, to their successors, to the entire Azerbaijani people, and, I may say, to the entire Islamic world.

I know that religious leaders from many countries are participating in our events. I greet them in particular. In addition to the religious leaders of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, religious leaders from Georgia and Syria, as well as representatives of the North Caucasus republics—especially religious leaders from Dagestan and Chechnya—are also taking part today. In other words, this is an example of unity. Naturally, Azerbaijan plays a special role here. Azerbaijan is both a part of the Turkic world and a Caucasian country. Looking at the history of our country, everything is clearly evident. Ancient Caucasian Albania existed precisely on our territories, and the capital of that ancient state was the city of Gabala, which remains one of the most beautiful places in our country today.

The capital of the ancient Atabegs state was another of our beautiful cities, Nakhchivan. This once again shows that the Turkic world and the Caucasus—these two realms—actually encompassed a unified geography, and Azerbaijan is the only Caucasian country that is a member of the Organization of Turkic States.

Naturally, we have close ties with the Turkic world, and we have close family and friendly relations with the peoples of the Caucasus. Naturally, your being here together carries great symbolic meaning. It is precisely such joint events that bring us even closer together, strengthen the ties of friendship and brotherhood among us, and send very positive messages to the world.

Every word spoken by Muslim religious leaders is, of course, very valuable and precious to Muslim communities. If these words are directed toward peace, cooperation, tranquility, and reconciliation, it means that peace and tranquility will also prevail in the regions where we live.

Naturally, certain events taking place in today's world, particularly in the Muslim world, concern us all. In Azerbaijan, we have always strived—and will continue to strive—to strengthen Islamic solidarity through practical actions and our work. Numerous events have been held in Azerbaijan through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and ICESCO. Nearly a decade ago, in 2017, the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games were held in Baku on our initiative and with the support of all Muslim countries. We viewed these Games not merely as a sporting competition, but as a grand celebration of unity.

Next year, the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be held in Baku. Against the backdrop of global developments, I believe it is no coincidence that such an event is taking place specifically in Azerbaijan. True, this decision was taken some time ago, but it is, in fact, a very correct decision. I want to emphasize once again that Azerbaijan acts as a unifying, reconciling, and cooperation-oriented country in all organizations of which it is a member. I am confident that the Summit to be held in Azerbaijan next year will yield excellent results. Our hope is that by the time of the Summit, the ongoing processes, misunderstandings, and, in some cases, conflicts between certain Muslim countries will have come to an end. For our part, we will do everything in our power to unite the Muslim world as a single family, put an end to all unnecessary disputes, and halt confrontations. Furthermore, those elements seeking to divide us—and, in doing so, aiming to strike a blow against the religion of Islam—will be put in their place. Naturally, we can achieve this only through joint efforts.

Therefore, I believe that your presence in Baku and your joint participation in these events will once again send very serious and unambiguous messages both to our region and to the world.

I know that during your visit you will also travel to Garabagh. According to the information provided to me, you will visit the cities of Aghdam, Khankendi, Khojaly, and Shusha. I am confident that this visit will be very interesting for you. You will witness both the consequences and the destruction caused by the 30-year occupation, while at the same time seeing the new face of a reviving Garabagh. These lands were under Armenian occupation for 30 years. War crimes were committed against our people. A bloody genocide was committed in the city of Khojaly. The Khojaly Memorial Complex has already been established in Khojaly, and, if you have time, you can visit it.

All our cities and villages located in Garabagh and East Zangezur were razed to the ground. Ethnic cleansing was carried out against our people. Nearly one million Azerbaijanis were displaced from their native lands as a result of the ethnic cleansing policy of the Armenian state. As you know, negotiations that lasted for 30 years yielded no results because Armenia did not want to leave our lands voluntarily. Meanwhile, major states supporting Armenia sought not to resolve the issue, but to prolong it and make the occupation permanent. By providing military, economic, and political support to Armenia, these states were effectively rewarding the aggressor.

The Azerbaijani people put an end to this injustice and established a global precedent. Because until then, occupied lands, unfortunately, were not being liberated. At any rate, such instances were not encountered in the 20th and 21st centuries, or were encountered only on very rare occasions.

The Azerbaijani people liberated these lands by shedding blood and fighting. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace. At the cost of their lives and blood, and through the selflessness of our heroic sons, we restored our justice, our rights, and our national dignity. We expelled the occupiers from our lands, raised the Azerbaijani Flag in every corner of Garabagh and East Zangezur, and put an end to separatism. The separatist leaders, war criminals, and child killers are today serving their sentences in Azerbaijani prisons. This, too, is the triumph of justice. In other words, justice has fully prevailed, and the Azerbaijani people, united as a single fist, have restored their territorial integrity and sovereignty, upheld international law, and achieved justice.

When we returned to these lands after 30 years, what did we see? Today, the entire world sees it—destroyed cities and villages, demolished homes, plundered national wealth, and destroyed mosques. Sixty-five mosques were completely destroyed by the Armenian state—I want to particularly emphasize this; it was Armenia's state policy—by the Armenian state. Some were left in a semi-ruined state. You have likely seen those photographs as well: Armenia intentionally and deliberately kept animals—pigs and cattle—inside the mosques. In other words, in order to insult us, humiliate us, and, understanding our sensitivities, deliberately inflict further pain on our people, they did not refrain from such barbaric acts. In reality, this was an insult not only to us and our people, but to the entire Islamic world. Look, this is the true face of the Armenian state. We must never forget this, and we will not forget it.

Yes, today there is peace, and the war has ceased. The peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is underway, and I am confident that it will be long-lasting. At any rate, such is the position of the Azerbaijani state. However, we will never forget the atrocities committed against us and against our people. We will never forget the victims of Khojaly, our destroyed mosques, or our desecrated cultural sites, and this memory will make us even more vigilant. This memory will not allow us to be deceived by sweet words again; it will not allow any insidious plans against our people to succeed ever again. We must be vigilant, we are vigilant, and at the same time, we are strengthening our military might. It was precisely through military power and the heroism of our sons that we expelled Armenia's occupying army from our lands. Therefore, military-patriotic education has gained immense momentum in Azerbaijan today. Everyone sees that today's world has completely changed and that the factor of force has come to the fore. We were not the ones to put forward the principle of “might makes right.” However, we must reckon with existing realities, and naturally, we do. We know that there is one guarantee for our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, and the future of our people as a free and independent nation—and that is our willpower, our determination, our military strength, the unity of our people as a single fist, our faith, and our national values.

Naturally, your trip to Garabagh—I repeat once more—will be very interesting. You will also witness a reviving Garabagh. Today, people are already residing in 48 cities and villages across Garabagh and East Zangezur. In other words, former displaced persons have returned, and those working and studying there have settled in. The “Great Return” Program is being implemented successfully. Look, over 90,000 people are already living in the cities and villages I mentioned. Life has returned, and this is our great achievement, our historical accomplishment. For 30 years, our people lived in suffering and hardship. Today, however, we live as a victorious people, as a triumphant state.

I must also state that despite all these sufferings, tortures, and genocides, we did not take retaliatory steps against Armenia or the Armenian people. During the Second Garabagh War, we targeted only military formations. Unlike Armenia, we have never waged war against unarmed civilians. This is contrary to both the mentality and traditions of our people. I said back during the war that we must take our revenge on the battlefield, and we did so to the fullest extent. The blood of our martyrs was not spilled in vain. We avenged the blood of our martyrs, destroyed the enemy, and forced them to surrender. Once again, today we live and build with pride as a victorious people.

During the 30-year period of occupation in Garabagh, the Armenian state did not lay a single stone upon another or build a single building, but constructed villas and mansions only for its predatory, corrupt, and bloodthirsty leaders. Now you will go and see for yourselves what state we have brought that vast territory to—an area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers, that is, the size of an entire country—within just four to five years. You will see it with your own eyes.

I greet you once again. I would particularly like to express my gratitude to His Holiness the Sheikh. His Holiness the Sheikh is a figure who commands great respect in Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, the Turkic world, the Islamic world, and across the globe. His activities are highly valued both by the Azerbaijani people and by the neighboring states and peoples. The events held under his patronage and on his initiative carry immense significance—for our people, for the Caucasus, for the Turkic world, and for the Islamic world. Therefore, honorable Sheikh, I would like to express my gratitude to you. I also thank all our guests for being with us today. I wish you success, and the peoples and countries you represent happiness, peace, and good health.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office, andKubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, then addressed the meeting.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:Thank you very much. I would also like to say that the idea of holding this meeting of religious leaders of Turkic states was yours. The religious leaders came at your initiative, on your advice, and we carried it out. Inshallah, we will continue it as well.

Speaking on behalf of Religious Leaders of Turkish-speaking countries, President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs of Türkiye Safi Arpaguş said:

- Mr. President, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude for receiving us. I convey to you the greetings of your dear brother, our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

President Ilham Aliyev:Thank you.

Safi Arpaguş:I would like to express our satisfaction with the holding of the 7th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the international scientific and practical conference dedicated to Sheikh Seyid Yahya Bakuvi Shirvani in this beautiful Azerbaijani city. On behalf of all my colleagues, I would like to express my gratitude for your hospitality and for hosting us. We wish the Azerbaijani people and the Azerbaijani state eternal and lasting unity, solidarity, and brotherhood within the Islamic ummah, and we pray that this continues for as long as the world exists. With these sentiments, I thank you once again for receiving us and express my respect to Your Excellency.

President Ilham Aliyev:Thank you.

Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade:Thank you very much. I am grateful. We have also decided to continue this conference at the Aghdam Mosque, in front of which Your Excellency once stood and delivered a speech. I remember that at that time, all religious ceremonies for the martyrs of Garabagh were held in that mosque.

President Ilham Aliyev:Yes, including the victims of Khojaly.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:Yes, that mosque has witnessed many things. Therefore, we thought it appropriate to go there today. Tomorrow, Inshallah, we will continue both the conference dedicated to Seyid Yahya Bakuvi and the conference of the religious leaders of the Organization of Turkic States at that mosque. We also intend, Inshallah, to visit Khojaly.

President Ilham Aliyev:That is right, Your Eminence Sheikh. You are absolutely correct. The Aghdam Mosque is a historic mosque, and we all know very well that during the occupation period, before Aghdam was occupied, religious events and ceremonies for our martyred compatriots were held there. In particular, all the ceremonies for the victims of Khojaly were held there. I must also state that we began restoration work almost immediately after the Second Garabagh War ended in 2021. The first site to be restored was the Aghdam Mosque. To date, 12 mosques that were either completely or partially destroyed have already been restored and rebuilt, and this process is ongoing. You will also have an opportunity to see the newly built mosque in Shusha.

That is to say, I want to emphasize once again that our people have such great love and respect for our national and moral values and our religion that we began the restoration work with the mosque, and this process continues today. Therefore, it is a very good decision. Aghdam is also effectively being rebuilt now. I must also mention that during the occupation, not a single building remained in Aghdam – neither in the city nor in the occupied villages. All the buildings were demolished, and the stones were looted, taken away and sold in markets. The main goal was to destroy the cities so that Azerbaijanis would never return. That was the primary goal. The second goal, of course, was greed – that is, looting. The stones from the demolished buildings, roofing materials, window frames – all of it – and even tombstones were taken away. Later, they erased the names of the deceased from those tombstones and sold them in markets as marble and granite. We faced such unprecedented looting. They even dug up graves and extracted gold teeth from the deceased.

The world must know all of this. The world turned a blind eye to this for 30 years. The major powers supporting Armenia, including, first and foremost, the co-chair countries of the infamous Minsk Group, sought to cover up all these acts. Armenia did not allow any foreign observers into the occupied territories. But they brought certain bribed politicians and public figures from the West and other countries to show them how they lived there. Yet international organizations remained silent. The United Nations, whose Security Council had adopted four resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories, remained silent. The OSCE remained silent. The Council of Europe effectively supported the occupation. The European Parliament has always supported the aggressor, Armenia, and continues to do so today. This is just a small illustration of the attitude toward us.

Look at whom we were up against. Armenia was not alone. If Armenia had been alone, this issue would have been resolved long ago. Or, if international sanctions had been imposed on Armenia at that time for this occupation, this savagery and this genocide, the issue would have been resolved long ago. They did not do so deliberately and intentionally. Now, whether justified or not, sanctions are imposed everywhere. But why did you not impose sanctions on Armenia when it occupied 20 percent of another state's territory, expelled 700,000 people from there, expelled 250,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia and destroyed everything, all the cities? This is double standards. Where these double standards stem from is clear. In any case, they do not stem from the Islamic world. Therefore, all of us must know this. I return to my opening remark that our unity will strengthen each of us. Because when each of us stands alone, we may face difficulties. But when the Turkic world, the Caucasus and the Islamic world stand together, no one can overcome us. No one can commit injustice against us. Therefore, as a state and in formulating and implementing state policy, we always prioritize this factor. Because we faced this injustice. For 30 years, we raised our voice in all European organizations, trying to convey the truth. I personally, back in 2001, was a deputy of the Milli Majlis and Azerbaijan became a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and I led the Azerbaijani delegation. When our delegation arrived there, first of all raised the issue that an end must be put to this injustice. And what were we demanding? We were not demanding that the Council of Europe go and fight against Armenia. We were demanding that a political decision be made. Call the aggressor an aggressor. Adopting a political decision is effectively a political assessment. They did not want to do this. No political assessment was made. On the contrary, they maligned us, tarnished our reputation, and this continues today. Look, now, as Azerbaijan grows stronger and brings its full potential to bear, a dirty Western media campaign is again being waged against us. That is, they seek to discredit us, publishing articles full of lies, slander and defamation about Azerbaijan every day.

Sanctions were not imposed on Armenia by the Council of Europe. But when we fully liberated Garabagh in September 2023, eradicated separatism and arrested the separatists, four months later the Council of Europe imposed sanctions against us. Look, this is their true face. The European Parliament is a nest of corrupt figures. I say this with full responsibility: the European Parliament is a nest of corrupt figures. Millions of dollars in suitcases were found in the house of its vice-president, and they covered it all up, as if it had never happened. Her name is known; she is a female deputy from Greece. How many years have passed since then? Has any measure been taken against her? No. Has she been held accountable? No. She was released. Look, the European Parliament consists of these Islamophobes, and this must always remain in focus.

An undeclared war is being waged against our religion and against the Islamic world, and Islamophobia is just a small part of it. Discrediting the Muslim world, tarnishing it, equating it with terrorism and committing those insulting acts against our values and against the Holy Quran – do you think these things happen by chance? No. This is a targeted policy. And what must we put up against this? Only our unity. Therefore, this call for unity is not merely a slogan. This is what we have faced – that is, over 30 years, both from a territorial point of view, as our territory was under occupation, and from a political point of view, as Azerbaijan is one of the very few Muslim countries participating in European organizations. Therefore, we know what happens there. As a member of the Council of Europe, we faced these injustices, we face them and we likely will face them. This undeclared smear campaign against us will never stop. Why? Because we do not and will not bow before anyone. We speak our mind, we protect our national dignity and we protect our way of life. We do not allow certain trends alien to our people and religion to take root in Azerbaijan. We are guardians of morality. Look, this is why these campaigns are being waged against us. I expanded the scope of our meeting somewhat simply to substantiate my thoughts with evidence. That is, once again, the main message is that we must all strive for unity. Again, I say, the words of religious figures carry special meaning for all Muslim countries. Please, go ahead.

Mohamed Abdelsalam,Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, also addressed the meeting.

President Ilham Aliyev:First of all, please convey my greetings and respects to the Grand Imam. I will never forget my meeting with him in Egypt at Al-Azhar. I also fondly recall his visit to Baku. I would very much like to see him in Baku again, and relevant letters have been sent. I hope that he will accept our invitation.

At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to you once again for this award named after Sheikh Zayed. This award naturally means a great deal to me. The decision was made by a very prestigious jury, and I know that the selection process there is very precise and thorough, taking into account many factors. For this reason, I would like to express my special gratitude. At the same time, this award was another step toward peace. It was a step in support of our peace agenda. Because, I want to reiterate, we are now living in peace with Armenia. However, the wounds in our hearts have not healed. The wounds in the hearts of our people have not healed, and no one can know when they will heal.

Taking a step toward peace less than two years after bloody clashes and a 30-year occupation requires immense courage and foresight and, at the same time, once again demonstrates Azerbaijan's peace agenda. Of course, various paths could have been chosen, and naturally, the choice belonged to Azerbaijan. Because Azerbaijan emerged victorious from the war. Armenia was completely defeated and signed the act of capitulation, and, of course, we could have dictated any agenda. However, we chose the peace agenda, and how wise this choice was is today, as they say, clear to the entire world. The whole world sees it. Because this confrontation, this war, had to stop at some point, and had we not stopped it, no one else could have done so. Had we not stopped it, it would have continued indefinitely, blood would have been shed, martyrs would have been lost, and the normal development of our country would not have been possible. Therefore, the award you presented to me and to the Prime Minister of Armenia was precisely what supported this peace agenda through practical deeds. Yes, statements had been issued. Almost the entire international community expressed its support for the initialing of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan—that is to say, political statements were made. However, this award further strengthened that support. That solemn ceremony organized by you in Abu Dhabi, your personal attitude, and the support expressed there by world leaders for the peace process naturally reinforce these positive trends.

We have been living in peace for just over a year—a year and one month. Peace has not yet fully taken hold. Yes, we possess a strong will. We are committed to the peace agenda. However, the processes taking place in the world and around us—as everyone now sees—have effectively reached an uncontrollable level and may even descend into chaos, both within the framework of existing conflicts and through their expansion. We see that many countries are already in confrontation in various regions. That is to say, these are not merely confrontations between two countries. Many countries are already actively participating in these confrontations, and the geography of these bloody clashes is expanding. Therefore, each of us must make great efforts to keep the Turkic world and the Caucasus region in a state of peace and to preserve that peace. Thus, I express my gratitude to you once again, as the award you presented to us played a very important role both in public opinion and in the subsequent political steps taken, helping make peace irreversible. Therefore, I thank you once again and am grateful to you for all your kind words.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:The representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Director General of IRCICA, Mr. Erol Kılıç, would also like to say a few words.

President Ilham Aliyev:Please, go ahead.

Mahmud Erol Kılıç,Director General of IRCICA (Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture), said: On behalf of IRCICA, a subsidiary cultural organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), I would like to express my gratitude once again to you, Mr. President, for the warm hospitality extended to us in the beautiful city of Baku. As you know, the OIC brings together 57 member states, one of which is Azerbaijan and another is my country, Türkiye. The headquarters of IRCICA, the OIC subsidiary operating in the fields of history, culture, and art, is located in Istanbul. We organize wonderful conferences. I would like to share one of my thoughts with you. Particularly in the Islamic world, the concept of religion is being terribly distorted. In certain regions, this is given names such as Salafism and the like. Such concepts destroy religion. However, we know that Azerbaijan has a beautiful history of Sufism. There were moderate-minded Sufi thinkers such as Fuzuli, Sayyid Yahya Shirvani, Neymatullah Nakhchivani, and many others. Therefore, I personally request that you support us in conducting more events to showcase this beautiful and moderate aspect of Islam, particularly to the Islamic world and also to the entire world.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:I would also like to express my gratitude to you. Do you know for what? For the madrasa, the Mir-i Arab Madrasah, when you visited there.

President Ilham Aliyev:We even took a photo in front of your portrait. I told Mehriban khanum, “Let’s take a photo and send it to the Sheikh”—that photo we took in his madrasa with our friend.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s grandfather also studied there.

President Ilham Aliyev:Yes, there is a photo, as well as a photo of you.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:Yes, there is a photo of me as well. I am grateful that you once again appreciated those national and spiritual values. Of course, this meeting delighted us all very much. This was a special meeting of the Turkic states.

President Ilham Aliyev:You gather like this frequently.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:At these meetings, there is a spirit of gentleness and compassion. These meetings bring the Turkic-speaking peoples even closer together.

President Ilham Aliyev:Naturally, the meetings of the Muslim leaders of the Turkic states are now being held in various countries and will continue to be held in rotation. However, regarding this conference that is being held, we could make it a traditional one. We could hold it every year or every two years, so that it serves as a wonderful gathering, an exchange of views, a discussion, and a demonstration of unity. Therefore, think about this as well. Once again, I am putting forward the initiative, and I expect concrete proposals from you.

Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade:We express our gratitude. Thank you very much for devoting so much of your time to us.

President Ilham Aliyev:Thank you.

The meeting concluded with a family photo.