From the Consultative Council of Religious Confessions in Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN, January 23 - Dear Mr. President,

Thanks be to the Almighty for granting us the happiness of congratulating Your Excellency on your continued success and achievements. We sincerely congratulate Your Excellency on being awarded the international Zayed Award for Human Fraternity in recognition of your efforts toward achieving peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We wish you continued achievements in your activities for the sake of supreme human values.

Following the great Garabagh Victory won under the leadership of Your Excellency, you are giving the people of Azerbaijan the pride of celebrating historically significant victories and prestigious international awards at the global political and diplomatic level. Your ideas and initiatives serving human fraternity on a global scale bring invincibility, trust, and respect to the state of Azerbaijan at the international level. The fact that you have been decorated with this prestigious award, which was established on the basis of a document signed by Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders - where, thanks to your blessing, Azerbaijan is represented by the Sheikh-ul-Islam - as well as by the late Pope Francis, represents recognition by the human family of your efforts and deeds that are pleasing to the Almighty.

We are proud that Azerbaijan’s exemplary model of interfaith cooperation, multiculturalism, and understanding is appreciated around the globe, and this is the fruit of Your Excellency’s modern and visionary public policy. Progress and prosperity are impossible without peace, stability, and mutual understanding, and Your Excellency’s activities in this direction as the political leader of Azerbaijan deserve the kindest words and the highest awards. Your Excellency’s position at the forefront of the world’s peace agenda, and your participation as a founder of the Board of Peace, is yet another vivid example of your valuable activities in the name of ideals that are pleasing to the Almighty. Seeing Your Excellency as a founder of such a prestigious body at the global level fills us with pride and evokes admiration among religious people, who are an integral part of the people of Azerbaijan. We are confident that this historic step of yours will play a major role in building global peace and eliminating the threats and dangers that cause concern for humanity, Inshallah. Our prayers are with you. May Almighty Allah protect you and your valuable family!

We, as leaders of the religious confessions of the country led by Your Excellency, feel infinite pride in having you as a world-class leader and wise statesman who has succeeded in strengthening the policy of the state of Azerbaijan, based on national spiritual and universal multicultural values founded by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, on an international scale. As people who experience this pride at the most prestigious international events beyond the borders of our country, we ask the Almighty to bless your activities.

Your Excellency, you are a powerful political figure who has raised the name of Azerbaijan and the glory of its people to great heights. On behalf of the religious people of Azerbaijan, we would like to express our deep gratitude to Your Excellency for the successes and achievements you have brought to Azerbaijan in all spheres of life thanks to your visionary statehood philosophy. We convey to you our best wishes and blessings. We pray to Almighty Allah to bless the efforts and deeds of our Leader, who is distinguished by respect for national spiritual and universal values, is an active participant and founder of the Board of Peace on a global scale, and is a Victorious Leader decorated with the highest award.

May the Almighty protect the state of Azerbaijan and always keep Your Excellency at the pinnacle. Amen!

With deep respect and reverence,

Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office

Aleksiy

Bishop of the Baku and Azerbaijan of the Russian Orthodox Church

Vladimir Fekete

Ordinary of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan

Milikh Yevdayev

Head of the Community of Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan

Aleksandr Sharovskiy

Head of the Community of European Jews in Baku

Robert Mobili

Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Religious Community

Zamir Isayev

Head of the Baku religious community of Sephardic Jews