Zaza Vashakmadze, Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, Giorgi Ukleba, Deputy Chairman and Gvantsa Tskhovrebadze, Protocol Manager were received by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board in Azerbaijan, Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade, and held  lunch in honor of the guests.

Sheikh Pashazade called the relations between the two neighboring countries special and noted that the favorable environment in which Azerbaijanis live in Georgia is important to him. "Relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia are developing in all areas, be it culture, economy ... In this regard, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, has a special role. The patriarch is my older brother, we congratulate each other on religious holidays, he has done a lot in the development of relations between the countries. We are grateful to him, such kind attitude of the Patriarch towards Azerbaijan means good attitude of the Georgian people towards us," Sheikh said.

The Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues congratulated the Sheikh on his birthday, handed over a congratulatory letter from the Patriarch of Georgia and stressed the outstanding relationship between the spiritual leaders of the two countries, which has a great impact on relations between the two peoples.

Zaza Vashakmadze also mentioned the challenges in the modern world, the threat of radicalism and terrorism, which also affects the field of religion, and in this context, he positively assessed the tolerant environment in Georgia. He spoke about the state project "State Language for Clergy", which promotes the integration of the Muslim community, about the annual funding of the Muslim community to compensate for the material and moral damage caused during the Soviet period and the annual iftar, which is held on behalf of the supreme authority of the state.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Republic of Azerbaijan Zurab Pataradze, the Chairman of the State Committee on Religious Associations Mubariz Gurbanli and the staff of the same committee.