Baku, June 23 (AzerTAc). State Committee for Work with Religious Associations on June 23 hosted a ceremony of conferring "Dostlug" (Friendship) Order on Archbishop of Baku and Azerbaijan Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexander Ischein.
Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations Elshad Iskandarov said that Archbishop Alexander Ischein was awarded "Dostlug" Order by June 11, 2012 decree of the President Ilham Aliyev for outstanding achievements in the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.
 "There are strong ties between the Muslim and Orthodox communities of Azerbaijan. And these ties have deep historical roots. For many years our people lived in conditions of good neighborliness, peace and mutual understanding," he said.
Iskenderov added that Azerbaijani President shows great concern for the Orthodox community of Azerbaijan and the prime example of this care is the awarding Alexander Ischein with "Dostlug" Order.
Alexander Ischein, for his part, said: "I am deeply impressed by the fact that President Ilham Aliyev has honored me with this award. This is an indication of high appreciation of the activities of Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan."
Azerbaijan is a country where equal conditions for all peoples and religions are created, he said. "Multinationality is our wealth. In Azerbaijan, each nation retains its own culture and traditions. Representatives of all religions enjoy equal opportunities in the country. We have seen how the various forces wanted to sow discord between people of different faiths here. But they failed to create a sectarian conflict in Azerbaijan, mostly thanks to the wise policy of Heydar Aliyev. Today, President Ilham Aliyev continues this course ," said Ischein.