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On June 23, 2016, the Russian part of the Council for Interreligious Cooperation under the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development met at the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR). The meeting was chaired by Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman.

The meeting was attended by members of the Council, including the First Mufti of Kabardino-Balkaria Shafig Pshikhachev, who is also the general representative of the North Caucasus Muslim Coordinating Center in Moscow and chairman of the International Islamic Mission; Rabbi Aaron Gurevich, head of the department for cooperation with the Arms Forces, Emergency Ministry and Law Enforcement, Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia; Rabbi Zinovy Kogan, vice president for relations with state, public and religious organizations, Jewish Religious Congregations of Russia; Gelong Sanjey-lama, representative of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha in Moscow; D. Petrovsky, DECR staff member; and representatives of the Council members including Denis khazrat Mustafin, deputy chancellor of the Buddhist Board of Moscow and Central Region, who represented the Mufti of Moscow and Central Region Albir khazrat Krganov; and I. Kashitsyn, DECR staff member.

Archpriest Nikolay Balashov introduced the meeting to the Chinese part’s initiative to establish a Council for Interreligious Cooperation as part of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development. He informed the participants about the meeting he had on September 23, 2015, with the deputy head of the PRC’ State Administration for Religious Affairs, Mr. Jiang Jianyong, who is co-chairman of this Council from the Chinese side. The meeting discussed the proposals made by the Chinese side concerning the Council’s work plan and formulated the wishes of the Russian side. They also expressed wishes to broaden information materials on the Council’s site by putting them on the site of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development.

DECR Communication Service