“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
2025-06-23
On June 21–22, the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—the largest and most influential international Muslim organization—was held in Istanbul, Turkey. At the end of the session, the “Istanbul Declaration” was adopted. The declaration reaffirms the member states’ commitment to the purposes, objectives, and principles of the organization, as well as to all the resolutions adopted by the OIC Summits and the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Two of the provisions in the declaration address the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. Specifically, the resolution calls on Armenia to “overcome the legal and political obstacles hindering the signing of a peace agreement.” Member states of the OIC and Islamic financial institutions are urged to support “the reconstruction and demining efforts in the liberated territories.”
There is also a reference to the so-called “Western Azerbaijan” community, reaffirming the “right of return of Azerbaijanis expelled from the present-day territory of Armenia.”
The organization, while condemning the “destruction of Islamic cultural heritage on the territory of Armenia,” ignores the fact that numerous Muslim sanctuaries and mosques in Azerbaijan’s territory have been turned into garbage dumps or animal shelters for many years. Meanwhile, the Iranian Blue Mosque in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia has been preserved, restored and remains open. Moreover, it has become a religious and cultural center for Iranians visiting Armenia.
Member states, including Azerbaijan, that condemn manifestations of Islamophobia and call on international organizations to take effective measures against it, overlook the fact that it is precisely in Azerbaijan where Muslim clergy are persecuted, convicted on fabricated charges, and subjected to physical and sexual abuse in prisons.
It should be noted that next year the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit will be held in Azerbaijan.
The Geghard Foundation firmly condemns the unilateral statements of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the unfounded provisions concerning Armenia in the adopted declaration, which were promoted by Azerbaijan and aim to distort reality, justify its aggressive policies, and undermine regional stability.