Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov arrived on a working visit to the Republic of Gambia.
Rustam Minnikhanov headed the Russian delegation to participate in the 15th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Russia has entered the OIC with observer status since 2005. Rustam Minnikhanov, on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, heads the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World” and represents the interests of Russia at the OIC Summit.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is an international intergovernmental organization of states with a significant proportion of the population professing Islam, the purpose of which is to protect the interests of member states and coordinate their actions in the international arena, promote socio-economic development, resolve humanitarian issues and ensure the rights of Muslims, combat Islamophobia and desecration of Islam, protection of Islamic cultural and religious heritage.
Now, the OIC unites 57 states with a total population of about 1.7 billion people. The highest body of the OIC is the Summit of Heads of State and Government, convened every three years. The XVth Summit takes place on May 4-5 in Gambia.
An important role in interaction with the Muslim world, in particular with the OIC, is played by the organization created on the initiative of Vladimir Putin - Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World”. KazanForum has become an active platform for interaction with the Islamic world.
In Gambia, on the sidelines of the Summit, Rustam Minnikhanov is scheduled to have a number of meetings, as well as participation in key sessions.
Rustam Minnikhanov arrived to Gambia from Abu Dhabi, where Rais of Tatarstan met with the President of UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT
Based on materials from Press Service of the Rais RT