Religious confessions operating in Azerbaijan have expressed their position regarding the assessment of the religious situation in Azerbaijan in 2025, as included in the “2026 Annual Report” of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
A joint statement received by “Elchi” from the Caucasus Muslims Office noted that the opinions contained in the document cause serious concern and deep regret:
“Considering the existing realities, we categorically reject the assessment in the report. The unfounded allegations against Azerbaijan in the report, such as the alleged violation of religious freedom and pressure on religious communities, reflect the biased lobbying position of certain groups. These claims do not correspond to the realities in the country; on the contrary, they ignore the significant efforts made by Azerbaijan to promote religious tolerance both domestically and globally.”
It was stated that Azerbaijan’s unique approach to promoting interfaith dialogue within the country has also been consistently encouraged through significant global initiatives and has gained wide appreciation from the international community:
“It is expected that USCIRF will reconsider its approach to our country by objectively reflecting the situation in Azerbaijan based on existing facts and realities. We expect it to appreciate Azerbaijan’s contributions to tolerance and its efforts to protect interreligious and interfaith dialogue. We hope that necessary measures will be taken to eliminate the injustice shown towards Azerbaijan by including it in the ‘Special Watch List’ in a completely baseless and unproven manner.”
The statement was signed by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office and the Consultative Council of Religious Confessions of Azerbaijan, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahşükür Paşazadə; Head of the Mountain Jews community in Azerbaijan Milix Yevdayev, Bishop of the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Aleksiy, Apostolic Prefect of the Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan Bishop Vladimir Fekete, Head of the European Jews community in Baku Aleksandr Şarovski, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian religious community in Azerbaijan Robert Mobili, and Head of the Sephardic Jews religious community in Baku Zamir İsayev.