On February 7, Damir Mukhetdinov, first deputy chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, visited Vatican City, where hehad a meeting with Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Coucil for Interreligious Dialogue and the Prefect of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims.

The meeting was held in connection with the decisions of the 7th Congress of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, which had taken place on September 23, 2019. It should also be mentioned thet the 16th annual session of the International Muslim Forum will take place on December 9-11, 2020 in Rome.

Damir Mukhetdinov invited the Vatican Catholic priests to participate in this event and to contribute to the discussion. The discussion will be devoted to al-Farabi's idea of a Virtuous City, since it is related to the current geopolitical realities and  the 1150th anniversary of the birth of the philosopher.

The Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation has had a long and productive relationship with the Catholic Church represented by Catholic priests in Russia and the nuncios in Moscow. The direct dialogue between the Religioius Board and the Vatican City was initiated in April 2017. when Damir Mukhetdinov met the previous head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Jean-Louis Tauran. Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who replaced Cardinal Tauran, graduated from the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, and spent many years in Muslim countries.

Cardinal Guixot is a board member of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue. He is also known as one of the key persons participating in the preparation of the joint declaration of Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Taiyeb, which was adopted in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi.