Azerbaijan is not facing any serious interfaith or interethnic problems, said Mubariz Gurbanli, head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations.
"Certain circles in many countries are using religion for political purposes," Gurbanli said at a conference in Baku on December 17.
He rejected as baseless allegations that there is a lack of in Azerbaijan, saying it is completely far from reality.
"There are 2,500 mosques in Azerbaijan today and about 1,600 of them are functioning," Gurbanli said.
He went on to note that there are people all over the world who try to reach their political goals under the cover of religion.
"The trend is particularly common in the Islamic world," Gurbanli said.
Gurbanli added that the relationship between the state and religion in Azerbaijan is regulated under the constitution.
Gurbanli also revealed that security systems will be installed within the mosques in Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the attempt to burn the mosque in Garachukhur settlement, he said the accident is under investigation.
"The law enforcement bodies have identified the identity of the arsonists," he noted.
The State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations and Council of State Support to NGO under the President of Azerbaijan signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the conference.
Gurbanli said the conference brought together the religious communities and NGOs for the first time in Azerbaijan, adding that cooperation between them could be fruitful.
"NGOs have great experiences in developing and realizing the projects. The religious communities should make use of the NGO experience and develop projects. Such projects could also be launched together," he noted.
Gurbanli noted that the government allocated a certain amount of money to the State Committee and religious communities for their activities in 2015.
(Azernews)
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