OSCE helps to form first Inter-confessional Council of Kyrgyzstan
The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek supported the conference Strengthening of the Inter-Confessional Dialogue, devoted to the issues of interfaith harmony and tolerance between representatives of various religious organizations of Kyrgyzstan, held on 5 December 2018 in Bishkek.
This Сonference concluded a series of forums held from June to October 2018 across all regions of Kyrgyzstan. The attention of the participants was drawn to potential obstacles and prospects in establishing interfaith dialogue, both at the regional level and nationally. The important role of religious leaders and civil society in the process of building a platform for interfaith dialogue was also highlighted.
“We must maintain democratic principles on religious issues in the country. Religion must remain the free choice of every citizen. There are destructive forces that are trying to shake the religious situation in the country. We should not let these forces influence peaceful co-existence between confessions. Therefore, we will create the Interfaith Council in Kyrgyzstan to strengthen the work of building dialogue and developing relations between representatives of different faiths,” said Zayirbek Ergeshov, Director of the State Commission for Religious Affairs of Kyrgyzstan.
This event was held in the framework of the implementation of the Concept on the State Policy in the Religious Sphere for 2014-2020. It helped to develop new approaches to strengthening interfaith dialogue, principles of respect for various beliefs, human rights and freedoms, religious tolerance, as well as preventing radicalism and extremism.
Pierre von Arx, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek reiterated OSCE’s continued support to interfaith dialogue. He commended the conference as it demonstrated how far Kyrgyzstan has come in embracing its multi-faith identity that exists in a secular context. “The OSCE has been supporting an educational pilot project called “Basic History of Religious Culture”, a secondary school course that teaches students the history of world religions. A special mention should be given to the state authorities for making this education mandatory for all schools in 2019.”
The conference resulted in creating the Interfaith Council of Kyrgyzstan – the first independent body that aims to preserve the existing interfaith dialogue and harmony in the country.