Yerevan has hosted a session of the presidium of the CIS Inter-Religious Council for the first time. It is attended by Armenian Catholicos Karekin II, Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Kirill and head of the Caucasus Muslim Administration Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at the opening that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not religious. The conflict must not be used for clashes between Christians and Muslims. The only solution is through the OSCE Minsk Group.
The Armenian catholicos said that the authorities of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have made statements on peace and cooperation with their neighbors. The policy with Turkey without preconditions failed.
Karekin II says that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He reminded about new threats, such as globalization, economic recession, events in Africa and the Middle East.
Pashazadeh says that the repercussions of the conflict will be a heavy burden for the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples. He expressed support for the OSCE Minsk Group.
Pashazadeh thanked Kirill for support in maintaining dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani religious leaders.
The meeting was concluded with a declaration underlining the need for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on international law.
Andrey Areshev, Deputy Director General of the Fund for Strategic Studies, says that the meeting of religious leaders in Yerevan is a significant event indeed. In an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza he said that such meetings had been held in Moscow and Baku. They influence the situation in the South Caucasus. The current meeting is important against the background of escalating tensions on the contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh and around it. The sniper war causes deaths on both sides. Religious leaders can find the words their peoples expect to avoid escalation, the expert says.
