MINSK, 29 March (BelTA) – The countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are preparing a statement against religious discrimination, Andrei Grozov, Deputy Director of the First CIS Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, told reporters in Minsk on 29 March, BelTA has learned.
“In recent times, we have seen manifestations of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims and Christians. Such issues are of great concern to the CIS given the wide ethnic and religious diversity of our population,” Andrei Grozov noted. He pointed out that these issues do not receive due attention. Meanwhile, there is an excess of attention to the fight against antisemitism and islamophobia. “Today we observe discrimination against Christians in Europe, and Muslims are facing the same situation in the context of the migration flows that the European Union has seen over the past year,” he added.
In this light, a decision was made to prepare a statement that would reflect the common position of the CIS member states on the issue and would help encourage relevant discussion at international venues, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe.
“We hope that our partners will support this proposal, and we will issue the statement and promote it jointly. This is important for all CIS countries,” Andrei Grozov emphasized.
