The First Meeting of Heads of State Agencies for Religious Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member countries is being held in Shusha.
The event is attended by the Secretary General of the OTS, as well as the heads of state agencies responsible for religious affairs from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
The meeting, aimed at preserving the common national-spiritual and cultural values of Turkic peoples and developing relations between relevant state bodies, will feature discussions on issues of mutual interest. The agenda includes reviewing cooperation directions in regulating state-religion relations, enlightenment, legislation, and personnel training in administration. Additionally, discussions will cover the protection, restoration, and international recognition of monuments reflecting the common religious and cultural heritage of Turkic peoples, promoting inter-sectarian understanding, inter-confessional dialogue, Islamic solidarity, and strengthening experience and information exchange in combating religious radicalism and extremism.
One of the main topics of the meeting is the creation of a permanent cooperation mechanism between state agencies for religious affairs within the OTS framework. This initiative aims to strengthen coordination among member states, develop institutional cooperation, and further expand collaboration.
At the end, a Communiqué reflecting the agreed positions and cooperation directions of the parties is expected to be signed.