RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, met Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, in Moscow on Saturday. During the meeting, they discussed strengthening bilateral relations between the OIC and the Russian council.  Al-Othaimeen praised the coexistence and harmony among different religions in the Russian Federation. Matviyenko welcomed the OIC secretary-general, stressing the matching of views with the OIC. Meanwhile, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded an honorary doctorate to Al-Othaimeen during a ceremony that took place at the academy’s headquarters in Moscow. In his address, Prof. Evgeny Petrovich Bazhanov, the academy’s president, hailed the role played by the OIC in bringing people closer and for its efforts to support and promote peace. Al-Othaimeen said he valued the honorary doctorate. He delivered a lecture highlighting the work and procedures of the OIC, as well as its quest to spread the true message of Islam based on moderation and its programs to combat extremism, violence and terrorism. This was in addition to strengthening the organization’s relations with friendly countries including Russia, he said.