His Holiness Patriarch Kirill attends a meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group

DECR Communication Service, 19.05.2023. 

On May 23, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, currently on his primatial visit to the Republic of Tatarstan, took part in a meeting of the “Russia-Islamic World” Group of Strategic Vision at Kazan City Hall.

The topic of the meeting was “Russia-Islamic World: Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values as a Basis for Interreligious Cooperation”, Patriarchal Press Service reports.

The annual meeting of the Group is held during the International Economic Forum “Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2023.” Russian and foreign members of the Group attend Forum’s events.

The Group of Strategic Vision has been preparing the meeting in cooperation with the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), Spiritual Administrations of the Muslims of Russia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, several international and national Muslim organizations, foundations, and analytical centers.

Participating in the meeting from the Russian Orthodox Church are also Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan; Metropolitan Dionisiy, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman; Archimandrite Alexiy (Turikov), personal secretary to Patriarch Kirill; Mr. Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’ Relations with Society and Mass Media; hieromonk Kirill (Korytko), secretary of Tatarstan metropolia; and hieromonk Grigory (Matrusov), chairman of the Patriarchal Experts Council for Interaction with the Islamic World.

Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan and chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision, opened the meeting and welcomed the participants.

Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and chairman of the KazanForum organizing committee, read out greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ addressed the participants in the meeting.

Reports were presented by Igor Komarov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District; Rais Rustam Minnikhanov; Sheikh ul-Islam Talgat Tajuddin, Grand Mufti of Russia, and ten more high-ranking representatives of the Islamic world.

The annual meeting was declared closed by Farit Mukhametshin, deputy chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision, deputy chairman of the RF Council’s Committee on International Affairs. He expressed special gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for his address and active participation in the meeting.

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The “Russia-Islamic World” Group of Strategic Vision was established in 2006 and held five meetings, the last in December 2009.

In June 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a decision on renewal of activities of the Group and assigned the duties of its chairman to the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.

Nowadays the Group aims at forming the soft power tools to enhance relations of Russia with the Islamic world, building partnership for interaction of cultures and civilizations, and carrying our activities in various areas related to different issues of economic cooperation and interaction with young people.

The Group consists of thirty-six Russian and thirty-four foreign members, including former senior-level leaders, scientists, representatives of business circles, and Orthodox and Muslim religious figures. The Group holds different forums, conferences, festivals, round tables and other events in Russia and in other countries.

In the period from June 2015 to May 2022, the Group held seven meetings in Moscow, Kazan, Grozny, Makhachkala, Ufa, Jeddah, and Kazan.