Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church participated in a meeting of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia

DECR Communication service, 16.05.2024


On May 16th, 2024, an international conference of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World: A Just Multipolar World Order and Safe Development” opened in the IT Park named after Bashir Rameev in Kazan, within the framework of the international economic forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024”.


The forum was attended by religious and state leaders, representatives of international and public organizations, diplomats, and experts from dozens of countries around the world. Representing the Russian Orthodox Church at the event were: Metropolitan Antoniy of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan, a member of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World”; Archbishop Varlaam of Makhachkala and Grozny; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Hieromonk Grigoriy (Matrusov), Chairman of the Expert Council at the Patriarch for Interaction with the Islamic World; Priest Ilya Kashitsyn, Secretary of the DECR for Interreligious Relations; and Priest Nikolay Vasin, Secretary to the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations.


The conference was opened by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group (SVG) “Russia – Islamic World” R.N. Minnikhanov, who noted that the Group had become a unique platform for “global interreligious dialogue aimed at protecting traditional spiritual and moral values”, within which dialogue is conducted between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Islamic world. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation M.Sh. Khusnullin conveyed greetings from the President of Russia V. Putin and addressed the participants with his own speech. Following that, a report by the honorary guest of the forum, the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, was presented.


In the welcoming message of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, which was announced by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, it was noted: “Maintaining allegiance to immutable moral values and testifying to the significance of religious faith in people’s lives, Russia and Islamic countries jointly resist the pressure of secular ideology, the propagation of sinful phenomena, and moral relativism, which is essentially a consequence of rejecting God and His commandments.” Mentioning that over a thousand years ago the Russian people chose Orthodoxy as the basis of their state and cultural development, and slightly earlier in Bulgaria the choice was made in favor of Islam, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out that “here, on the blessed land of Tatarstan, two spiritual traditions closely intertwined, having a common value foundation and moral guidelines, helping us to look at many things the same way and successfully find answers to the challenges of modernity.”


During the forum, speeches were also delivered by: Deputy Chairman of the SVG “Russia – Islamic World,” Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Federation Council Farit Mukhametshin; representative of the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Muhammad Salah Tekaya; Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Supreme Mufti Sheikh-ul-Islam Talgat Tadzhuddin; Deputy Secretary-General of the World Muslim League Abdulwahab Al-Shehri; Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin; Chairman of the World Council of Muslim Communities Ali Rashid Al-Nuaimi; Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia F.A. Lukyanov; Director of the Egyptian Council on Foreign Relations Saad Azzat; Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik; Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation G.L. Muradov; Secretary-General of the World Organization for the Rapprochement of Islamic Schools of Thought Hodjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari; Mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia Albir Krganov.


After the break, the conference continued with panel discussions.


Photos from the website of the Tatarstan Diocese.