Russian and Syrian religious communities hold a round table in Damascus

Russian and Syrian religious communities hold a round table in Damascus Российские и сирийские религиозные общины провели круглый стол в Дамаске print version September 26, 2019 18:04 During a trip to Damascus, a delegation of the Inter-Religious Working Group on Assisting the People of Syria of the Council for Interaction with Religious Communities under the President of Russia held a round table with representatives of Christian and Muslim communities in Syria. The meeting discussed the results of the project to restore the open school on the eve of the secondary school in the Barza region and further prospects for joint work in the humanitarian sphere. The Syrian side emphasized the importance of this project for a country reborn after the war and noted the high quality of the work performed. Words of gratitude were expressed to Russian believers - Christians and Muslims who collected donations for the restoration of the school, and religious leaders who inspired this initiative. Special words of gratitude were addressed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who from the very beginning of the work of the Working Group has blessed and supported her. Remembering the visit to Damascus of an inter-religious delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk in November 2018, when the future reconstruction project of the school was first discussed, Syrian spiritual leaders emphasized that the cooperation of Christians and Muslims of Russia in helping Syria far from them knows no examples in which of the other countries. Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), who heads the Working Group, thanked the Syrian religious leaders for their cooperation in implementing humanitarian projects and called for discussing specific plans for the future. One of the urgent tasks was the need for Russia to help train teachers for Syrian schools, to promote the development of Russian language teaching programs in Syria, and other issues that are planned to be submitted to the Working Group. On the Russian side, the round table was also attended by: A. A. A., assistant to the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for Domestic Policy, executive secretary of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of Russia Melnikov; Mufti Kamil Samigullin, head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan; Ildar Ziganshin, member of the Presidium of TsDUM of Russia, Imam-Mukhtasib of the Tyumen Region; Mufti Albir Krganov, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia; Mufti Askarby Kardanov, Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of the Republic of Adygea and the Krasnodar Territory; Pastor O.Yu. First Deputy Chairman of the Euro-Asian Division of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Goncharov; Bishop of the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith in St. Petersburg and the Region Tents; executive director of the Interreligious Fund for the Promotion of Joint Humanitarian Projects, economist of the Zaikonospassky Monastery in Moscow, Hieromonk Yermogen (Korchukov); Representative of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia J.-F. Tiri; imam-mukhtasib of the Nizhnekamsk district of the Republic of Tatarstan Salikh Ibragimov; Imam Mukhtasib of the central mosque of Maykop I. Shalakhov; Head of the International Department of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Imam M. Mirsayapov; and about. Head of the Moscow branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society O.V. Shabunevich; Head of the NGO “Arab Diaspora of Russia” H. Nasrallah; President of the Charity Fund RUSAR O.I. Fomin; Representatives of the All-Russian Organization of Veterans "Combat Brotherhood" N.A. Kuskova and M. Mutavvaj, as well as employees of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic.