On November 28-30, 2019, Ufa hosted the V annual meeting of the Group of Strategic Vision (GSV, Group) "Russia-Islamic world" dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The topic of the meeting was "Interfaith harmony: the experience of Russia and member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)".
The Ufa Forum, which essentially summed up the results of the one-year activities of the Group, was attended by more than 70 delegates - Russian and foreign members of the GSV, heads of reputable international organizations and guests of honor. Among the honored guests of the meeting were Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Nikolai Zhuravlev, Deputy Foreign Minister, Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Samir Bakr Diab and others.
In his speech, Chairman of GSV "Russia-Islamic world", President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov noted that Russia and the Muslim world "should more actively use the potential of bilateral relations", stressing that "together, we will be able to set the order based on equality, respect for international law and justice faster" . In this regard, he recalled that the main objective of the Group is to contribute in every possible way to the further rapprochement of Russia with the Islamic world, with an emphasis on building up economic, scientific, technical and cultural-humanitarian cooperation.
The participants of the Forum warmly welcomed the address of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. In his message, Russian President noted that Russia actively and successfully cooperates with the OIC in many areas, pointing to the importance of the Russian Federation and the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation "coordinating efforts to counter global threats and challenges, resolve regional conflicts and solve various humanitarian problems."
Welcoming messages were also received from Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Youssef Al-Othaimeen, as well as from a number of international Muslim organizations and heads of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Valentina Matviyenko stressed that Russia and the OIC member-states are united by strong ties of friendship and partnership, as well as commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, which "contributes to the development of international relations on the basis of equality and the rule of law", recalling the "special role" of the outstanding Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov in strengthening relations between Russia and the countries of the Muslim world. "Russia," Sergey Lavrov stated, "appreciates fruitful cooperation with the OIC in the interests of finding effective solutions to current problems." He also stressed that in the current conditions of turbulence in international relations, "the strengthening of interfaith harmony is particularly in demand to maintain global and regional stability."
Welcoming participants, the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov noted the merit of the Muslim Ummah of the Republic "in strengthening interfaith peace and harmony" in Russia, stressing that "Bashkortostan from the religious point of view is a model for all multinational and multiconfessional Russia".
In his welcoming address, OIC Secretary-General Youssef Al-Othaimeen expressed readiness to intensify cooperation with Russia, stressing that the Russian Federation, which is an observer at the OIC, is an important partner of the Organization in the international arena. He also highly appreciated the holding of the events dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Organization during the Group meeting in Ufa and noted that this, without a doubt, clearly demonstrates the dynamically developing relations. Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OIC Ramazan Abdulatipov pointed out that the activities of the Group conducted jointly with the OIC, in particular the holding of business summits and other international forums, is an important component of Russia's interaction with the member-states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, stressing that the creation of the GSV "played a role in shaping the policy of a multipolar world". He also noted that the "Muslim vector" is a significant reserve of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation.
The participants of the meeting congratulated the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is, in fact, the "collective voice of the Islamic world", on its half-century anniversary, noting that for 50 years it has been resolutely and regularly defending the interests of the Muslim Ummah in the international arena. The participants of the meeting also noted that the OIC still has great potential to further strengthen its authority both in Islamic countries and in the world as a whole. In this regard, they supported the efforts of the leadership of the GSV "Russia-Islamic world" to increase cooperation with the OIC member-states.
54 speakers presented their speeches at the plenary session. One of the working sessions was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Yevgeny Primakov.
The participants of the meeting emphasized Yevgeny Primakov's invaluable contribution to the development of friendly and trusting relations between Russia and the Muslim states.
The Forum also included awarding the winners of Rustam Minnikhanov Award:
- the Religious Board of Muslims of the Tatarstan Republic under the leadership of Mufti Kamil Hazrat Samigullin for translation of the meanings of the Quran into the Tatar and Russian languages;
- Russian Muftis Council under the leadership of Rushan Hazrat Abbyasov, first Deputy Chairman of the RMC, for the translation of Mahmoud al-Bulgari's religious and didactic work "Nahj al-Faradis " ("The Way to Paradise") from the old Tatar language into Russian, for the significant contribution to the restoration of the spiritual heritage of Russian Muslims, Islamic education and theological heritage in Russia.
In addition, on the sidelines of the Ufa event, there was a demonstration of movies and photos dedicated to the founders of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia-Islamic world" Yevgeny Primakov and Mintimer Shaimiev.
The Forum participants visited the exhibitions of investment projects of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency, the exposition of the Quran manuscript, the exhibition of Halal products produced in Bashkortostan, as well as the book exposition of the GSV.
The participants of the meeting confirmed the importance of intensifying multi-faceted cooperation between Russia and the Muslim states in economic, scientific-technical and cultural-humanitarian spheres, noting that, in their opinion, it is necessary to use the considerable potential of the GSV as a highly effective tool of public diplomacy more actively. At the same time, they noted that due to the similarity of approaches of Russia and the Islamic states to the urgent issues of the international agenda, the intensification of bilateral cooperation seems to be a very feasible task, fulfilling of which will bring cooperation established between the parties to a qualitatively new level.
The participants of the meeting highly appreciated the unique experience of Russia in preserving centuries-old interfaith and interethnic harmony among more than 180 nationalities currently living in its territory, calling this phenomenon a very important visual example worthy for others to follow. They called for the need to unite efforts to preserve the centuries-old traditional values, which are one of the most important system-forming elements in the basis of any civil society, since their erosion leads to the degradation of the population, the growth of violence, radicalism and conflicts on religious and national grounds.
The participants of the meeting expressed their gratitude to the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov and the Organizing Committee for the hospitality and providing wonderful conditions for work.
The VI meeting of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia – Islamic world" is planned to be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the spring of 2020.
Ufa, November 29, 2019.