Religious confessions operating in Azerbaijan have responded to the assessment of the religious situation in Azerbaijan in 2025, included in the 2026 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), according to the Caucasus Muslims Board.
In a joint statement, it was noted that the views contained in the document caused serious concern and deep regret:
“Taking into account the existing realities, we categorically reject the assessment in the report. The unfounded claims against Azerbaijan in the report, such as alleged violations 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 disregard Azerbaijan’s significant efforts in promoting religious tolerance both domestically and at the global level.”
It was stated that Azerbaijan’s unique approach to promoting interfaith dialogue within the country has also been consistently promoted through significant global initiatives and has earned widespread 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 in protecting interfaith and inter-belief dialogue. We hope that necessary measures will be taken to eliminate the injustice shown toward Azerbaijan by its inclusion in the ‘Special Watch List’ on completely unfounded and unsubstantiated grounds.”
The statement was signed by Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim Board and the Advisory Council of Religious Confessions of Azerbaijan; Milikh Yevdayev, leader of the Mountain Jewish community in Azerbaijan; Bishop Aleksiy of the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church; Bishop Vladimir Fekete, Apostolic Prefect of the Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan; Alexander Sharovsky, leader of the European Jewish community in Baku; Robert Mobili, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian religious community in Azerbaijan; and Zamir Isayev, leader of the Sephardic Jewish religious community of Baku.
