Department for External Church Relations
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Representative of the DECR takes part in the All-Russian forum “Siberia – Territory of Dialogue 2025”
DECR Communication Service, 17.11.2025.
On November 6–7, the All-Russian Forum with international participation “Siberia – Territory of Dialogue 2025” was held in Tomsk. The organizers of the event were the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Siberia, the Foundation for the Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education, the Regional Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tomsk and the Tomsk Region, the Tomsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Administration of the Tomsk Region.
The opening ceremony took place at the Scientific Library of Tomsk State University. Among the participants were: Metropolitan Rostislav of Tomsk and Asino; Mufti Albir Krganov, Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia; E.V. Timofeev, Head of the Department of Internal Policy of the Tomsk Region; Mufti Zulqarnain Shakirzyanov, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Siberia; Mufti Bata Kifah Mohamad, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Volgograd Region; Mufti Eldar Gambarov, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the People’s Republic of Lugansk; Archimandrite Ioann (Sukhin), Abbot of the Ascension Monastery of the People’s Republic of Lugansk; Archpriest Alexander Novopashin, Head of the Missionary Department of the Novosibirsk Diocese; Professor Alexander Dvorkin, President of the Center for Religious Studies in the Name of the Holy Martyr Irenaeus of Lyons; Roman Silantyev, Head of the Laboratory of Destructology at Moscow State Linguistic University (online); Jamaliddin Babakhanov, Director of the Babakhanov Muftis Foundation (Uzbekistan); Samagan Myrzaibraimov, Director of the Research Institute under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan; Haidar Safarov, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ulema of Tajikistan; Ahmad Nadyrbegov, Assistant to the Mufti of the Republic of Dagestan; and others — representatives of religious organizations, government bodies, and the academic community from Russia and abroad.
The forum discussed the role of traditional religions in strengthening social harmony and the joint contribution of religious and public institutions to countering radicalism and extremism.
With the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Hieromonk Grigory (Matrusov) took part in the international conference held within the framework of the forum, titled “Interaction of Traditional Religious Denominations and National-Cultural Organizations in Countering the Ideas of Radicalism, Extremism, and Terrorism.”
Father Grigory noted that cooperation between Muslims and Christians is of the utmost relevance today, and that one of the key areas of collaboration should be the active use of communication tools and modern technologies to promote and defend spiritual and moral values.
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