The 1st Meeting of the Heads of State Bodies Responsible for Religious Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has commenced in Shusha, Azerbaijan.
The event has brought together the OTS Secretary General and heads of state bodies responsible for religious affairs from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
The meeting will feature discussions on issues of mutual interest aimed at protecting the common national, spiritual, and cultural values of the Turkic peoples and strengthening cooperation among the relevant state institutions.
Participants will review opportunities for cooperation in the regulation of state-religion relations, education, legislation, and personnel training.
Discussions will also focus on protecting, restoring, and promoting monuments reflecting the common religious and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples at the international level, promoting interfaith understanding, interfaith dialogue, and Islamic solidarity, exchanging experience in combating religious radicalism and extremism, and strengthening information exchange.
The meeting will also highlight the initiative to establish a permanent cooperation mechanism among state institutions responsible for religious affairs within the OTS framework.
The initiative aims to strengthen coordination among member states, institutionalize cooperation, and further expand collaboration.
The meeting is expected to conclude with the signing of a communiqué reflecting the parties' agreed positions and future directions of cooperation.