Baku International Center for Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Cooperation (BCIC), KAICIID International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Geneva Center for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, and the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Austria have held in Vienna, on 19 June 2019, the International Conference “From Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Cooperation to Human Solidarity”. State, parliament, public, international organizations and NGO personalities, leaders of the different faiths, all from more than 30 countries, attended the conference. IRCICA Director General Prof. Halit Eren was invited to participate in the conference.
The conference discussed themes around the universal importance of developing interreligious and inter-civilizational dialogue and co-operation towards solving the challenges of the modern world. The letter of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, addressed to the conference, was read out. The UN Under-Secretary-General, the High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos gave his keynote speech, followed by remarks of Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Partnerships with the Middle East and Central Asia Mr. Rashid Khalikov. In his remarks, the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board and Secretary General of BCIC Sheikhul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh stressed that Azerbaijan gives great priority to the national and universal values, multicultural traditions, and cooperation between different cultures and religions. At the end of their deliberations, the participants adopted the Vienna Declaration as a final document of the Conference. The document stressed that continuation of holding of such forums are of a high importance and necessity from the aspect of promotion of humanist ideas and a multicultural lifestyle in the modern world. (http://fiicths.bcicbaku.org)
The conference is part of a series of forums conducted through Azerbaijani side’s initiatives in cooperation with European institutions. The preceding conference, titled “From the interfaith and inter-civilizational dialogue to cooperation” was co-organized by Baku International Centre for Interfaith and Inter-Civilizational Cooperation acting under the aegis of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board, the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Germany, German-Azerbaijani Forum and Berlin Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, in Berlin, Germany, on 19 November 2018. IRCICA Director General had moderated the Berlin conference.
