Baku: A communiqu© was signed following the First Meeting of the Heads of State Institutions Responsible for Religious Affairs of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held in the city of Shusha, APA's Karabakh bureau reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the 11-point document includes provisions on developing state-religion relations based on the principles of secularism, expanding the exchange of experience in the religious sphere, enhancing cooperation in religious education, educating young people in the spirit of national and moral values, strengthening the family institution, and reinforcing religious awareness in the digital information environment.

The communiqu© expresses support for the restoration of the historical, religious, and cultural heritage in Azerbaijan's territories liberated from occupation. It also emphasizes the importance of promoting inter-sectarian understanding and Islamic solidarity across the Turkic world, promoting the Turkic-Islamic cultural heritage at the international level, and strengthening joint efforts against religious radicalism, extremism, terrorism, Islamophobia, and other destructive manifestations.

Gratitude was also expressed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Government of Azerbaijan, and the Secretariat of the Organization of Turkic States for the high-level organization of the event.

The next meeting of the heads of state institutions responsible for religious affairs of the OTS member states will be held in the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2027.