SANAA (YEMEN), June 29 (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov participated as a guest in the 32nd session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) foreign ministers in Yemen today.
Such high-level contacts contribute to an atmosphere of trust between the Islamic world and Russia and Christian civilization in general, sources in the Russian delegation said.
"Russia is a great Eurasian power located at the junction of civilizations and possessing a unique experience of co-existence and cooperation between many cultures, nationalities and religions," Lavrov said in a statement. Today the development of an inter-religious dialogue is a priority for the OIC, which unites more than 50 Islamic states with a population of over a billion people. The wishes of Moscow and the Islamic world coincide in this area. Close contacts with the OIC, initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2003, help develop inter-religious relations, Lavrov said.
According to Lavrov, Russia has reached agreements with almost 20 Muslim states on publishing joint collections to reflect their experience of co-existence of Islam and Christianity. Efforts are under way to set up a strategic vision group, Russia - Islamic World, to include prominent figures from various Muslim countries. It is particularly important for Russia that Muslim countries have joined Unesco education projects in the Chechnya.
Therefore, instead of the uncontrolled influx of preachers with extremist views who penetrated Russia from some Muslim countries in the past, it is time now for civilized Muslim educational work.
Diplomatic sources say that the flow of funds from Arab countries to support terrorists in Russia has fallen considerably. This is also in the interests of OIC member states, which are concerned about the spread of the ideas of extremism and terrorism throughout the world under the guise of Islam, as it tarnishes the image of Muslims in the eyes of other religions.
The Russian minister has said on many occasions that Russia and the Islamic world are partners in their fight against terrorism and other challenges of the 21st century and that their views on the resolution of regional conflicts, in particular, in the Middle East, coincide. Moscow fully agrees with the ideas of the OIC session that organization's member states should first solve their internal contradictions to turn into an influential regional force. Otherwise, it will be pointless for Islamic countries to seek permanent membership at the UN Security Council.
"Russia is ready to cooperate with the OIC on the reform of the UN," Lavrov said at the session. Russian politicians had previously said on many occasions that they were ready to support the candidacy of Egypt in the event that the UN Security Council was expanded. Meanwhile, cooperation between the OIC, Russia and other non-Muslim states is raising the prestige of the organization, at least in the eyes of its member states. In any case, both Moscow and the Muslim world say that dialogue is necessary.
