Saudi Arabia to Host 'Russia - Islamic World' Meeting on 24 November
The city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the Group of Strategic Vision meeting "Russia - Islamic world" on 24 November. The theme of this year's event will be "Dialogue and Prospects for Cooperation".
The meeting will bring together officials, scholars and thinkers from Russia and the Islamic world, who will gather to discuss issues which affect the interests of both parties and enhance cooperation in the face of existing challenges.
It fits within the framework of Russia's efforts to strengthen its relations with the Islamic world, and as part of Saudi Arabia's initiative to foster a dialogue between people from different cultures and different religious backgrounds, as the Kingdom is hosting the event for the second time after hosting the fourth session in Jeddah in 2008.
The Group of Strategic Vision "Russia - Islamic world" was created in 2006 under the leadership of former Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and Ex-President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev after the Russian Federation joined the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as an observer.
The Group has held meetings in Moscow, Kazan, Istanbul, Jeddah and Kuwait. Russian President Vladimir Putin has addressed each meeting of the Group of Strategic Vision with a welcome message.
The Group consists of 33 famous statesmen and public figures from 27 Muslim states, including former prime ministers, foreign ministers, a number of the most prominent theologians of the Islamic East from Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, and many others. The group is currently focused on developing measures to strengthen long-term cooperation between Russia and Islamic countries, coordinating joint measures to combat international terrorism, and the practical implementation of the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the Islamic world.
On 28-30 November 2019, Ufa, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia, hosted the latest annual edition of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia-Islamic world", dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the OIC. The meeting was held under the theme "Interfaith harmony: The Experience of Russia and Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation".