The Forum of Azerbaijani religious leaders entitled “Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects” organized by the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations started in Baku.

The event brought together officials from state institutions, theologians, specialists, and over 100 religious leaders representing various confessions across Azerbaijan.

The forum began with the performance of Azerbaijan’s National Anthem, followed by a moment of silence in memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs. Farah Aliyeva, Head of the Department of Humanitarian Policy, Diaspora, Multiculturalism, and Religious Issues of the Presidential Administration, read President Ilham Aliyev’s address to the participants.

A video presentation of the Azerbaijan Multicultural Information Network (AMIN) project was held during the event.

The AMIN is a single e-service portal, which collected in a systematic form the database about the places of religious worship, sanctuaries, cemeteries, specialized sales points, as well as the religious figures across the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The aim of the forum is to inform the society about the religious threats, to foster the role of religious leaders in the process of religious education, and to explore opinions and proposals about the activities of the religious communities and leaders and the challenges they face.

The forum also features a photo exhibition entitled "The Western Azerbaijan: maps, exhibits, monuments, deportation."