The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan has assumed the Chairmanship of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Prague Group (OIC PG) in 2017.

In this regard, the Embassy, together with other diplomatic missions of OIC PG, will promote better understanding of Islamic cultural and spiritual values in the Czech Republic and is highly interested in the enhancement of OIC PG proactive policy and looks forward to strengthening its relations with the Czech public and non-government agencies. The Embassy hopes that the cooperation with the Czech Republic on the platform of the OIC PG might bring the positive momentum against of those negative developments as intolerance and xenophobia on the rise.

Under the Chairmanship of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan the main purpose of the OIC PG will be the promotion of social and cultural issues, as well as the fight against Islamaphobia and an urgent reaction to the problems of Muslim communities in the Czech Republic, including preserving their dignity, culture and religious identity. Further, the Embassy will act as a coordinator for vital issues on the OIC agenda.

It should be underlined that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev has signed the Declaration on announcing Year of 2017 as a Year of Islamic Solidarity. At the same time, Azerbaijan will host the First Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017.

Within the first meeting of the OIC PG under the Chairmanship of the Ambassador of Azerbaijan Mr. Farid Shafiyev, the Ambassadors touched upon Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They reiterated a position for the two-state solution of the conflict which is the only guarantee of achieving the long-awaited, comprehensive, lasting and just peace, security and sustainable development in the region. The Ambassadors underlined the importance of establishment of independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.