The importance of tolerance was at the center of a conference held Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan

Titled “Youth and Religious Communities: Cooperation and Development,” the event was organized by the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations and the Youth Foundation under the patronage of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the country’s state news agency, AZERTAC reported.

For his part, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli highlighted tolerance traditions in the Azerbaijani society. “These values are one of the greatest assets of the Azerbaijani people,” Gurbanli was reported as saying, adding that representatives of different nations and religions have always co-existed in an atmosphere of peace and friendship in Azerbaijan.

The state-run news agency added that Gurbanli “underlined the importance of instilling the values of tolerance and multiculturalism into young people.”

Others speakers at the conference hailed Azerbaijan’s model of religious tolerance and pointed out youth’s role in raising awareness of Azerbaijan’s success in the field of coexistence.

Multiple officials, MPs and religious figures from various sects attended the conference.