Jeddah, November 24, 2021, SPA -- Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah, today inaugurated the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting, which is held this year in Jeddah under the theme “Dialogue and Prospects for Cooperation”. The meeting is held in the presence of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, who is also head of the Group of Strategic Vision, with the participation of officials, scholars and intellectuals from the Russian Federation and countries of the Islamic World. Prince Khalid Al Faisal started the meeting with a speech delivered on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Following is the text of the speech: In the name of Allah most gracious, most merciful, And peace be upon our Prophet Mohammed, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Dear Brothers, Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you, I start my speech with welcoming you on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and I convey to you their greetings and true wishes of success for this meeting. We convene here in Makkah Al Mukarramah Region to mark the second meeting for the group in the country of the Two Holy Mosques and the land of message and revelation. I also welcome Rustom Minnikhanov, Head of the Group of Strategic Vision and President Tatarstan Republic, which Islam entered since the fourth Hijri century and has been contributing to spreading Islam and the teachings of Islam till the present, and this can be evident in Kazan’s hosting of the first Islamic university in Russia. I also welcome the participating sheikhs, secretaries general of organizations and the attendees. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia highlights the importance of this strategic meeting between the Islamic world and the Russian Federation in enhancing regional and international security and stability, intensifying dialogue prospects among followers of various faiths and civilizations, and increasing cooperation in combating extremism and terrorism. The Islamic religion is known for tolerance and moderation, which gave it acceptance by humanity with its various races, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays an honoring role in adopting the principles of moderation and coexistence, where it has actively sought to support regional and international efforts in this field and offered several initiatives, the most prominent of which are adopting the Makkah Declaration and supporting United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to supporting any future efforts that aim at serving these principles out of its belief that diversity does not mean disagreement and that tolerance calls for sublimity. Dear brothers, Saudi-Russian ties are deep-rooted and solid and have exceeded 95 years and witnessed qualitative leaps during recent years and were marked with high-level visits between the two countries that led to signing several agreements in all economic, cultural and defense fields that paved the way to develop these ties and instill the level of confidence between our two nations. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia share several main principles, such as respecting the international legitimacy, establishing ties on the basis of mutual respect and the sovereignty, independence and unity of countries, and non-interference in domestic affairs, where both countries commit to a fair global system governed by the international law, which enhances security and stability and acts as a reference in solving regional conflicts. Also, Saudi Arabia and Russia enjoy memberships at G20 and OPEC Plus Group, which enabled both countries to adopt group work under the framework of these two groups to enhance international cooperation. Russia, like the Islamic world, also adopts profound principles, especially that both sides share a deep-rooted cultural heritage that paves the way to activate the role of religious institutions, develop an environment that supports peaceful coexistence among followers of various faiths and races, preserve the role of family and spiritual values, and protect human rights. Russia and the Islamic world also enjoy deep-rooted and instilled relations, which can be evident in its being an observer member in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for more than 15 years, where this membership has resulted in fruitful cooperation with the Organization. Also, more than 20 million Muslims live in Russia in peace and harmony with their communities and enjoy the rights to practice their religious rituals freely. The dynamic relations of Islamic countries with Russia are cross-cutting and diversified and pave the way to start bridges of scientific and technological cooperation and enhance ties in the fields of development, education, software and applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Dear brothers, The latest challenges facing our world have shown that we are all in the same boat, where there is no country or region that lives in isolation from the rest of the world, and this applies to political conflicts, spread of epidemics, economic recession, and climate change, in addition to several other global events and catastrophes. Accordingly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on the countries of the Group of Strategic Vision to enhance cooperation in facing these challenges in a bid to overcome these challenges with the least damages possible that might affect the future of our peoples, so that we can reach safety together. The economic cooperation is the backbone for interdependence among countries of the Islamic world and Russia, and there are favorable opportunities for the countries of the Group of Strategic Vision to establish solid economic partnerships in several fields, such as the Halal products and Islamic finance and we have to invest them and work on their development. In the end, I hope that this group will contribute to enhancing harmony among followers of various religions, developing dialogue among civilizations and cultures, protecting traditional, spiritual and household values that are facing change today, which require us to face such negative change and join efforts to avert its threats and move ahead steadily towards progress and sublimity. --More 13:43 LOCAL TIME 10:43 GMT 0011 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 2 Following that, a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin was delivered. The Russian President's speech was delivered on his behalf by Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, during which he expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for his interest in organizing the meeting of the Group of Strategic Vision. In his speech, he expressed happiness for holding this meeting and his appreciation for all for their participation, and on the occasion of inaugurating the new periodic meeting that is held on this land. He said: Russia places much attention to develop friendly ties with Islamic countries, whether at the bilateral level or through dialogue with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and it is useful that our stances regarding several difficult issues on the regional and international agenda are so similar, which calls on us all to build a just and democratic world based on the rule of law and peaceful coexistence among all countries away from any dictations that are based on power and all forms of discrimination. He also said that the meeting's agenda is rich and intensified and discusses cooperation prospects in the fields of settling regional conflicts and the threats of international terrorism and extremism. We also have cooperation issues in the commercial, economic, scientific and humanitarian fields that deserve a serious concern, President Putin said, expressing hope for this joint action to be constructive and fruitful and to help enhance cooperation and mutual confidence among countries, wishing all success. --More 14:22 LOCAL TIME 11:22 GMT 0012 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 3 Then, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, who is also Head of the Group of Strategic Vision, delivered a speech that highlighted President Putin’s big concern in cooperation with Islamic countries since 2005 when Russia became an observer member of the OIC. He said: We celebrated 15 years of establishing this relation, and ever since cooperation among our countries has gained high importance and is increasing to higher levels, and now it is clear that all attempts to impose one-polar new global system have failed, especially that many countries prefer independence and express their stances, where we have to benefit from forthcoming opportunities in our ties and to increase our activities in combating terrorism, defend our traditional moral values and protect those who need care, including national and religious minorities. He further added: “We have to fight risks of the climate change and activate cooperation in all fields, where Russia is ready to help other countries and we seek for Russia’s ties with the Islamic world to set an example for all countries of the world, where the importance of this path is given to Russian regions with Muslim majorities, and one of these regions is the Tatarstan Republic, which is among the most developed regions of the Russian Federation and has huge economic and cultural capabilities. He added that the Tatar model for peaceful and coherent cooperation among various religions and races is a model to solve several problems and implement tasks concerned with developing Russia as a whole. He also explained: “Our ancestors in Tatarstan in 922 have embraced Islam and Islam, ever since, has become one of the main religions in Russia, where our country was keen on establishing ties with several Islamic countries in various economic and cultural fields, in addition to our cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank; we develop our work in Islamic banking, and Kazan has recently become a center for the Muslim youth in Russian. --More 14:55 LOCAL TIME 11:55 GMT 0013 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 4 Then, Vice Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji delivered a speech on behalf of the Saudi Foreign Minister, during which he praised the role of OIC over more than 50 years in enhancing rapprochement among Islamic countries and coordinating joint Islamic action and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts in supporting and helping the organization to realize its goals and support Islamic issues. He also praised Russia’s role in the organization over the 15 years of its membership as an observer, out of its belief in the importance of joint action and the significance of dialogue among followers of various religions as one of the most important tools to realize peace around the world. He added that this meeting is envisioned to strengthen dialogues between the Islamic world and Russia and multiplies cooperation frameworks and partnerships between the two sides in a way that contributes to enhancing regional and international security, where holding the meeting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sign of interest of the wise leadership and its endeavors to deepen understanding and dialogue among various cultures, peoples and followers of religions. He also stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to spread the culture of coexistence and tolerance and has exerted tangible efforts to establish grounds for international dialogue. Saudi Arabia has sought to build an effective internal dialogue among all components of the community through the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, and globally contributed to spreading dialogue among followers of various religions and cultures through many initiatives, such as contributing to the establishment of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), adopting the Makkah Declaration, and supporting the efforts of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been keen on following up on and developing all these efforts through establishing a national committee to follow up on the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque Initiative for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s belief in its effective role at the regional and international levels in establishing bridges of communication and adopting the motto of coexistence and peace in a world full of conflicts. He also noted that Saudi-Russian ties, over 95 years, have witnessed an increasing development based on several bases of mutual confidence, joint understanding and continuous coordination over issues and subjects of interest to both countries and the entire region, which boosted cooperation opportunities in various political, economic and cultural fields, among others, and contributed to realizing prosperity and welfare for our two friendly countries, as well as protecting international peace and security. Concluding his speech, he stressed that this Group is a step forward towards enhancing understanding and dialogue between Russian and the Islamic world, and contributes to realizing international peace and security through cooperation and consultation over various issues and enhancing economic partnerships, expressing hops for these meetings to realize the aspirations of our countries and peoples. --More 15:28 LOCAL TIME 12:28 GMT 0014 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 5 Following that, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Ibrahim Taha delivered a speech, in which he emphasized on the spirit of cooperation between countries and peoples, through the culture of dialogue, and expanding partnership, referring to the interest of the Russian Federation in relations with the Islamic world, which is in line with Muslim countries' genuine desire to continue cooperation and develop cultural and economic ties between Russia and the Islamic world. He added that the meeting's theme, “Dialogue and Prospects for Cooperation ” corresponds to the interests of the Russian and Islamic sides in the fields of maintaining peace and security, conflict resolution and combating extremism and terrorism. --More 15:52 LOCAL TIME 12:52 GMT 0015 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 6 The Ambassador -at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Head of Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Oleg Ozerov delivered the speech of Russian Foreign Minister Surgey Lavrov, during which he welcomed attendees and participants of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting. He highlighted the importance of this meeting for being held on the land of revelation, expressing his gratitude for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this meeting amidst efforts exerted to organize it, expressing, at the same time, his happiness for OIC’s partnership with the Group. He said: We witness high rapprochement for international Islamic stances, where the assembled people here in Jeddah today enjoy a comprehensive appreciation for the state of harmony of Russia’s ties with the Islamic world, and discuss the initiatives aimed at enhancing the humanitarian and cultural cooperation and developing interfaith dialogue. He also referred to the importance of the Group’s proposals to prevent any crises or disputes existing in Islamic countries and the significance of effectively cooperating with African countries, noting that Russia has offered a big support to national liberation movements in various countries. He also said that Russia looks at OIC members not only as friends but also as economic partners that can be relied on and develop cooperation based on mutual benefit. --More 16:01 LOCAL TIME 13:01 GMT 0016 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 7 Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf delivered a speech saying: “The Royal patronage for this meeting is aimed at stressing the importance of strategic cooperation between the Russian Federation and Islamic world and the significance of enhancing these ties, especially that the theme of this meeting is ‘Dialogue and Prospects for Cooperation.” He added that the big participation of several figures from the Islamic world and the Russian Federation in the meeting highlights the importance of enhancing dialogue channels and building bridges on the basis of mutual understanding and the true desire in serving humanity away from gender, color, religion or race, especially that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taught all a hard lesson and, at the same time, has instilled the concept of collective action and cooperation as an only means that is effective in facing challenges and dealing with their repercussions within a humanitarian cooperation framework. Dr. Al-Hajraf noted that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque initiative for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue has formed a framework for meeting, discussing issues of mutual interest, and exchanging ideas and views with the aim of reaching mutual understanding and respect. He added that the regularity of holding the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting, since its establishment in 2006 after Russia joined OIC as observer, highlights the belief of all parties in its message and importance, where the Group held six meetings since its establishment in Moscow, Kazan, Istanbul, Jeddah and Kuwait, before Jeddah hosts the meeting for the second time after hosting the fourth meeting in 2008. The Secretary General also called for focusing joint and collective action through preparing measures to enhance long term cooperation between Russia and the Islamic countries and the real implementation of the strategic partnership between the two sides to serve joint interests, enhance strategic cooperation and attention in humanity, and prepare for the future and its challenges that require collective action to face them. Concluding his speech, Dr. Al-Hajraf thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this meeting today, wishing all success and praising the efforts of the Group of Strategic Vision, OIC and Muslim World League in enhancing the concepts of peace and coexistence and serving the goals of human fraternity. --More 16:10 LOCAL TIME 13:10 GMT 0017 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 8 Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr. Abdurrahman Bin Abdullah Al-Zaid delivered a speech on behalf of Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, during which he noted that the Group of Strategic Vision Meeting this year is held under an important theme “Russia-Islamic World”, praising the efforts exerted in enhancing communication rapprochement under a pioneering initiative that renews moral commitment to preserve the humanitarian and civil gains and stresses the keenness of the Russian Federation and Islamic world on boosting the concepts of partnership and cooperation in their strategic dimension, which are stemmed from the deep-rooted and historical ties and interconnected interests, until reaching a consensus in visions that result in a constructive integration that brings about welfare to our peoples and countries. He also commended the distinguished civil vision of the Russian leadership in building a citizenship that enhances harmony between religious and ethnic diversity and engages all components of the people regardless their diversity in affiliations, ethnicities and religions in the concerns of the homeland and its achievements, aspirations and hopes, changes multilateralism into enrichment, integration and competition to realize higher national interests within a positive and real participation that boosts communal harmony and reflects in the international role of the Russian Federation and its global status. He said: “The Russian experiment, with its ethnic, racial and religious diversity, has proven that religions guide to building a sustainable humanitarian acquaintance based on peace, tolerance and positive coexistence, which is what all religions and their teachings call for...” He also stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, since its establishment, maintains open and balanced ties with all countries and plays a pivotal role, thanks to its religious status and a cultural and civil center for Islam, in bridging international ties between the Islamic countries and other countries of the world, on principles based on mutual respects and non-interference in others’ internal affairs, in a bid to realize joint interests and the well-deserved aspirations of peoples and communities. He also explained that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of its efforts in enhancing communication, cooperation, coexistence and harmony, has patronized inclusive international conferences, out of its awareness on the importance of having successful dialogue and administration for diversity, noting that the Muslim World League was honored to hold one of the most important events near the Holy Kaabah, which is the Islamic Unity Conference that was held under Royal patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and generous support of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. He further added: “I was honored, along with senior Muslim scholars from around the world, to present the Makkah Declaration to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which is the most important document in the modern history, in which the Islamic world, represented by the elite of participants in the conference, expressed the Islamic world’s aspiration to restructure international ties based on tolerant religions until reaching the good, happiness and benefit of humanity. --More 16:26 LOCAL TIME 13:26 GMT 0018 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 9 For his part, Ahmed Rachid Khattabi, Representative of the Arab League's Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General and Supervisor of the Media and Communication Sector, delivered a speech saying: “Intensifying our efforts and coordinating our initiatives as countries, organizations and religious, ideological, media and economic elites, in accordance with a coherent and harmonious vision, is a main factor to develop this dialogue to serve peace and security, defuse tensions and combat terrorist behaviors and extremist tendencies.” He also stressed the Arab League’s deep-rooted will to create more tangible gains in the Arab-Russian cooperation under joint ambitious plans, including the 2021-2023 draft plan scheduled to be accredited during the upcoming session of the meeting in Marrakesh. --More 17:33 LOCAL TIME 14:33 GMT 0021 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 10 Meanwhile, Vice President of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” and Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Farit Mukhametshin delivered the speech of UN High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Miguel ءngel Moratinos, in which he noted that the Group was established in 2006 to develop ties between Russian and the Islamic world. He added: “This meeting is held in a very difficult stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is a strong international alliance to combat this pandemic, where reality requires all to cooperate and unite in facing this pandemic under the framework of the Russia-Islamic world cooperation, which gives a strong motive to offer initiatives that would develop relations among all peoples and societies.” He said: “We, at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, are ready to exchange expertise and knowledge with the Group of Strategic Vision.” --More 17:37 LOCAL TIME 14:37 GMT 0022 Under the Patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World” Meeting Kicks off in Jeddah 11 Attendees also watched a movie on the Russian ties with the OIC members on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Russia’s membership at OIC as observer, and another film on the 95th anniversary of establishing ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation. Following the meeting, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal toured the exhibition that was held in conjunction with the meeting, under the auspices of the Muslim World League and listened to a briefing about the contents of the exhibition. Then, Prince Khalid attended the signing of a cooperation agreement between Sputnik and Russian Radio News Agency and the Union of OIC News Agencies. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal also presented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s gift to the Russian Federation on the occasion of 95 years of establishing Saudi-Russian ties, which was received by the Tatarstan President, where the gift is a painting titled “History and Future” by Saudi painter Nabilah Abu Al-Jadayel. Then, the closed sessions of the meeting commenced. --SPA 17:39 LOCAL TIME 14:39 GMT 0023 www.spa.gov.sa/w1655621