Greeting of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin to the participants of the first meeting of Group of strategic vision “Russia – Islamic world” that took place in Moscow on March, 27-28, 2006.
I greet the participants of the first meeting of Group of strategic vision: “Russia – Islamic world.”
Our country has developed a long tradition of good and constructive relations with Muslim states. Russia has supported many of them on the path to independence; it has contributed to the strengthening of the national economy.
The expansion of multifaceted ties with the Islamic world is one of the main priorities of Russian foreign policy. It is gratifying that our dialogue is developing fruitfully. An observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Conference for Russia has contributed significantly for this.
I am convinced that the threat of international terrorism and the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, attempts to provoke a conflict between civilizations demands closer cooperation from the international community. Only by combining efforts, we will be able to find an adequate, effective response to these challenges. I hope that the work of Group of strategic vision “Russia – Islamic world” will make an important contribution to the achievement of this important goal.
I wish you successful and fruitful work.
V.Putin