OTS Religious Affairs Chiefs Convene First Meeting in Shusha to Deepen Cooperation
Shusha, The Gulf Observer: The first meeting of the heads of state bodies responsible for religious affairs of the Organization of Turkic States opened in Shusha on Monday, bringing together senior officials to strengthen cooperation on religious affairs and promote the shared spiritual and cultural heritage of the Turkic world.
The meeting is attended by the OTS Secretary General along with the heads of state institutions responsible for religious affairs from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Participants are discussing issues of mutual interest aimed at protecting the common national, spiritual and cultural values of the Turkic peoples while enhancing cooperation among the relevant state institutions.
The agenda includes exchanges on strengthening collaboration in regulating state-religion relations, improving religious education, harmonizing legislative approaches and expanding cooperation in personnel training.
Delegates are also reviewing joint efforts to protect, restore and promote monuments reflecting the common religious and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples at the international level. Additional discussions focus on promoting interfaith understanding, encouraging interreligious dialogue, reinforcing Islamic solidarity, sharing best practices in combating religious radicalism and extremism, and enhancing information exchange among member states.
A key item on the agenda is the proposal to establish a permanent cooperation mechanism among state institutions responsible for religious affairs within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States. The initiative is intended to strengthen coordination, institutionalize collaboration and further expand cooperation among OTS member countries.
The meeting is expected to conclude with the signing of a joint communiqué outlining the participants’ agreed positions and setting future priorities for cooperation in the field of religious affairs across the Turkic world.
