Caucasus Muslim clergy deserves respect: Russian Presidential Administration

The Caucasus Muslim clergy deserves respect for preserving interethnic and inter-religious peace in the region, Russian Presidential Administration Chief Sergey Naryshkin said in Baku today.

Naryshkin presented Caucasus Muslims Spiritual Leader Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade with the Order of Merit of Russia on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday.

"Caucasus is a unique region in terms of national and cultural diversity. You have great prestige in the Muslim world," Naryshkin said referring to Sheikh ul-Islam.

According to the official, in recent years Muslim communities in the Caucasus have grown rapidly and many mosques and cultural centers have been built thanks to Pashazade.

"You always strengthen Azerbaijan's tradition," he said.

Naryshkin appraised Pashazade's role on the CIS inter-religious council, which he said is a unique inter-regional organization promoting cultural dialogue and developing peace and harmony in the region.

He described Pashazade's remarkable role in strengthening the friendship between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as friendship between the two countries' peoples.

/Trend News/