17. Cooperation among Muslim Religious Institutions
17. Cooperation among Muslim Religious Institutions
Establishing cooperation among Muslim Religious Institutions of the OTS is another newly initiated area of work.



To this end, the First Meeting of the Heads of Institutions in charge of Religious Affairs of the OTS Member States was organized in Istanbul on 15 April 2022. Participants stressed in their speeches the importance of preserving the Turkic-Islamic values and transforming them into solid cooperation among the religious institutions while standing united against Islamophobia and radicalism.

This was followed by the 2nd Meeting of the Heads of Institutions in charge of Religious Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States; along with the International scientific-practical conference “Contribution of the Turkic People to the Development of the Islamic Civilization” was held on 6 May 2022 in Turkistan with participation the highest religious authorities of Turkic States. At the meeting, it is highlighted that the International scientific-practical conference is not limited to the Turkic Muslim world only, but it also addresses issues of the global agenda, in particular, countering islamophobia, xenophobia, extremism and radicalism.

Furthermore, the OTS Secretary General participated in the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held on 14-15 September 2022 in Nur-Sultan, the Republic of Kazakhstan. The meeting adopted the Declaration of the 7th Congress of World and Traditional Religions that covers fundamental issues of the agenda of the world inter religious dialogue and may be regarded as a guide for governments, political leaders and international organizations all over the world. On the margins of the Congress, the Secretary General organized a meeting of the Muslim religious leaders of the Organization of Turkic States and had bilateral meetings with a number of world and traditional religious leaders.

Third Meeting of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) took place in Baku and Susha on 19-20 October 2022. The Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of OTS visited the liberated territories of Azerbaijan and Shusha, the Cultural capital of the Turkic World for 2023. In Shusha, the OTS Muslim leaders signed the “Regulation Establishing the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Administrations of the OTS”, as a significant effort for furthering cooperation in the field of religious affairs among the Turkic States.
The Religious Leaders also adopted the “Joint Statement of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the OTS”, by which they commit to improving religious affairs among the Turkic States, developing concrete projects and strengthening ties between the relevant structures by creating joint scientific and religious centers.

Eventually, Fourth Meeting of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Tashkent on 24-25 November 2023. As the concrete outcomes of the meeting, Parties agreed on releasing the document on “Islam’s Attitude on Extremism”, formation of a “Fatwa Coordination Group”, conducting scientific research on the religious issues, organizing exchange of experience program on religious education institutions and a joint forum reflecting the values of the Turkic-Islamic civilization.


Last Update: 2.08.2024 16:20:41