Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue only can help counter extremism - Nazarbayev

PARIS. KAZINFORM "Establishment of a common international front for fighting with terrorism is one of the pressing challenges to date," President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said today, at the 38th session of the UNESCO General Conference.

"Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue only can help counter extremism," Nazarbayev said. "The territory of the ancient Mesopotamia, which is considered the cradle of the world civilizations and main religions, has been destroyed to date. Those sheltering themselves behind the Islamic State are irreparably damaging the cultural and historical heritage of the Middle East," he noted. "Kazakhstan condemns any manifestations of terrorism and extremism. Under the auspices of the UN, we suggest to establish a common international network of movement against terrorism and extremism," the Kazakh Leader said and added that Islamic terrorism must not be confused with peaceful Islam.