Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh is a personality who is widely known not only in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus in general, but throughout the entire international community. He is respectfully received and enjoys great respect and prestige among influential religious figures and statesmen of our modern world. President Ilham Aliyev ______________ His Eminence the Sheikh's activity both domestically and on the international stage is very successful and very valuable. I highly value His Eminence the Sheikh's work. In appreciation of this work, two days ago, I awarded His Eminence the Sheikh with the "Sharaf" Order, a high award of the Azerbaijani state. His Eminence the Sheikh is a person of great influence both within the country and internationally. As someone who knows this intimately, I can say it with full certainty. In my conversations with various heads of state, the positive opinions expressed by the other side about His Eminence the Sheikh have always made me very happy. This is a clear example of His Eminence the Sheikh's human qualities, his abilities, and how loyal he is to the Azerbaijani people and to Azerbaijani statehood. At the same time, this is a great contribution to our country, because it is no secret that His Eminence the Sheikh plays a great role in inter-religious relations. He has great respect, and on many occasions when I travel to Muslim countries or other countries, conversations about His Eminence the Sheikh come up, and I see, in the true sense of the word, great admiration for him. From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday August 28, 2009 ______________ His Eminence the Sheikh has been working in this great position for thirty years for the sake of Azerbaijan, both during the Soviet Union and in independent Azerbaijan. Of course, there is a big difference between these periods. But despite this, His Eminence the Sheikh has always spoken his righteous word, even within very difficult ideological frameworks. He was in the first ranks during the most difficult moments for our country. During the very difficult events that occurred in Azerbaijan on the eve of our independence, His Eminence the Sheikh's wise words and his civic stance were able to save Azerbaijan from even greater misfortunes. ... His Eminence the Sheikh also maintained very close friendly relations with the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, my father, Heydar Aliyev. These sincere friendly relations played a very important role in solving religious issues in Azerbaijan in the right direction. I always said that this personal friendship is also very important for our country and for the country's population. I am very glad that these beautiful traditions continue in Azerbaijan, in this area just as in every other area. Today, the relations between me and His Eminence the respected Sheikh are very sincere, they are friendly relations. We are very pleased with this friendship. This friendship is needed both for us and, at the same time, for our country. From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the international conference on the topic of "Inter-religious dialogue: from mutual understanding to joint cooperation" November 6, 2009
______________ With his activities, His Eminence the Sheikh is doing important work in bringing Azerbaijan's just cause to the world community. His international prestige and the respect he is given strengthen Azerbaijan. The wonderful international events held at the initiative of His Eminence the Sheikh are a clear proof of this. I am very happy when I hear good words about His Eminence the Sheikh during meetings with both world religious leaders and heads of large states. This is a fair assessment, and I am very glad that His Eminence the Sheikh is known not only in Azerbaijan, but also outside of Azerbaijan, and that he is respected, both in our region, in the Caucasus region, and at the same time, in neighboring countries and on a global scale. From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday September 6, 2010 ______________ I would like to once again note the activities of His Eminence the Sheikh on this wonderful day. His Eminence the Sheikh is a person with great experience—both a religious and a public figure—who has great authority in the world. The activities of His Eminence the Sheikh are of particular importance for solving the problems that currently concern the Caucasus. He has visited the republics of the Caucasus many times. His Eminence the Sheikh has a great deal of influence in the North Caucasus republics. He is held in high esteem in other countries. From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Ajdarbey Mosque after major repair and reconstruction December 22, 2011 ______________ His Eminence the Sheikh has great respect in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. In my periodic meetings with the muftis of the North Caucasus republics, I see once again how much great trust and respect there is for His Eminence the Sheikh. His Eminence the Sheikh is a well-known religious leader not only in the Caucasus but also in the CIS space. It is no coincidence that he co-chairs the CIS Inter-religious Coordination Council. On a global scale, and in our region, His Eminence the Sheikh's activity is very successful and serves the interests of our state.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday July 24, 2013 ______________ His Eminence the Sheikh is a figure with great influence both in Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, the post-Soviet space, and on a global scale. I know that world religious leaders have great respect for His Eminence the Sheikh. His Eminence the Sheikh with his activities strengthens our country's prestige on the international stage, promotes our country, and presents Azerbaijan as a modern, tolerant, and open country that is connected to its religious and national roots. Within the framework of the "Year of Islamic Solidarity," many events have been and will be held under the leadership of His Eminence the Sheikh, both domestically and abroad. This will once again present Azerbaijan to the world as a developing, modern, and dynamic country. We have a personal friendship with His Eminence the Sheikh. These relations are important for both us and the country. We set an example and show how state-religion relations should be built. Due to the achievements in this area, Azerbaijan can be an example for many countries.
From the speech of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the iftar ceremony on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan June 20, 2017
President Ilham Aliyev
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh is a personality who is widely known not only in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus in general, but throughout the entire international community. He is respectfully received and enjoys great respect and prestige among influential religious figures and statesmen of our modern world.
President Ilham Aliyev
______________
His Eminence the Sheikh's activity both domestically and on the international stage is very successful and very valuable. I highly value His Eminence the Sheikh's work. In appreciation of this work, two days ago, I awarded His Eminence the Sheikh with the "Sharaf" Order, a high award of the Azerbaijani state. His Eminence the Sheikh is a person of great influence both within the country and internationally. As someone who knows this intimately, I can say it with full certainty. In my conversations with various heads of state, the positive opinions expressed by the other side about His Eminence the Sheikh have always made me very happy. This is a clear example of His Eminence the Sheikh's human qualities, his abilities, and how loyal he is to the Azerbaijani people and to Azerbaijani statehood. At the same time, this is a great contribution to our country, because it is no secret that His Eminence the Sheikh plays a great role in inter-religious relations. He has great respect, and on many occasions when I travel to Muslim countries or other countries, conversations about His Eminence the Sheikh come up, and I see, in the true sense of the word, great admiration for him.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday August 28, 2009
______________
His Eminence the Sheikh has been working in this great position for thirty years for the sake of Azerbaijan, both during the Soviet Union and in independent Azerbaijan. Of course, there is a big difference between these periods. But despite this, His Eminence the Sheikh has always spoken his righteous word, even within very difficult ideological frameworks. He was in the first ranks during the most difficult moments for our country. During the very difficult events that occurred in Azerbaijan on the eve of our independence, His Eminence the Sheikh's wise words and his civic stance were able to save Azerbaijan from even greater misfortunes.
... His Eminence the Sheikh also maintained very close friendly relations with the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, my father, Heydar Aliyev. These sincere friendly relations played a very important role in solving religious issues in Azerbaijan in the right direction.
I always said that this personal friendship is also very important for our country and for the country's population. I am very glad that these beautiful traditions continue in Azerbaijan, in this area just as in every other area. Today, the relations between me and His Eminence the respected Sheikh are very sincere, they are friendly relations. We are very pleased with this friendship. This friendship is needed both for us and, at the same time, for our country.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the international conference on the topic of "Inter-religious dialogue: from mutual understanding to joint cooperation" November 6, 2009
______________
With his activities, His Eminence the Sheikh is doing important work in bringing Azerbaijan's just cause to the world community. His international prestige and the respect he is given strengthen Azerbaijan. The wonderful international events held at the initiative of His Eminence the Sheikh are a clear proof of this. I am very happy when I hear good words about His Eminence the Sheikh during meetings with both world religious leaders and heads of large states. This is a fair assessment, and I am very glad that His Eminence the Sheikh is known not only in Azerbaijan, but also outside of Azerbaijan, and that he is respected, both in our region, in the Caucasus region, and at the same time, in neighboring countries and on a global scale.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday September 6, 2010
______________
I would like to once again note the activities of His Eminence the Sheikh on this wonderful day. His Eminence the Sheikh is a person with great experience—both a religious and a public figure—who has great authority in the world. The activities of His Eminence the Sheikh are of particular importance for solving the problems that currently concern the Caucasus. He has visited the republics of the Caucasus many times. His Eminence the Sheikh has a great deal of influence in the North Caucasus republics. He is held in high esteem in other countries.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Ajdarbey Mosque after major repair and reconstruction December 22, 2011
______________
His Eminence the Sheikh has great respect in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. In my periodic meetings with the muftis of the North Caucasus republics, I see once again how much great trust and respect there is for His Eminence the Sheikh. His Eminence the Sheikh is a well-known religious leader not only in the Caucasus but also in the CIS space. It is no coincidence that he co-chairs the CIS Inter-religious Coordination Council. On a global scale, and in our region, His Eminence the Sheikh's activity is very successful and serves the interests of our state.
From the speech of President Ilham Aliyev at the iftar hosted by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh on the occasion of the Holy Ramadan holiday July 24, 2013
______________
His Eminence the Sheikh is a figure with great influence both in Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, the post-Soviet space, and on a global scale. I know that world religious leaders have great respect for His Eminence the Sheikh. His Eminence the Sheikh with his activities strengthens our country's prestige on the international stage, promotes our country, and presents Azerbaijan as a modern, tolerant, and open country that is connected to its religious and national roots. Within the framework of the "Year of Islamic Solidarity," many events have been and will be held under the leadership of His Eminence the Sheikh, both domestically and abroad. This will once again present Azerbaijan to the world as a developing, modern, and dynamic country. We have a personal friendship with His Eminence the Sheikh. These relations are important for both us and the country. We set an example and show how state-religion relations should be built. Due to the achievements in this area, Azerbaijan can be an example for many countries.
From the speech of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the iftar ceremony on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan June 20, 2017