A high delegation of representatives of diplomatic missions of the EU countries headed by Mirko Kruppa (head of the political department, Senior Advisor of the Delegation of the European Union to the Russian Federation), visited the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. The delegation included representatives of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom and France. The co-organizer of the meeting was the EU Delegation in Moscow.

Rushan Abbyasov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russia Muftis Council,  delivered a speech, where he spoke about the activities of Russian Muslims.

“It is a great honour for us to see you at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, which was opened in 2015 with the support of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as well as the leaders of Turkey and Palestine — Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mahmoud Abbas. The doors of our mosque have been open for more than 100 years, even during the Great Patriotic War and the period of militant atheism during the Soviet times”, said Rushan Abbyasov.

“Islam in Russia was spread exclusively by peaceful means. There are more than 25 million Muslims from different nations in our country, and there have never been conflicts on religious grounds,” he added. He also spoke about the revival of Islam in Russia, noting  that during the Soviet era thousands of mosques were destroyed, but 8,000 mosques have been restored and constructed over the last 27 years. Besides, Islamic institutions were opened in Moscow, Kazan, Ufa, Grozny and Makhachkala.

Rushan Abbyasov also spoke about working with the youth, in particular, through social networks.

“We condemn any acts of violence. We are working hard to counter extremism and radicalism. As for the youth, there are special events and volunteer movements for young people. Today, about 100 volunteers help us in organizing our events, half of them being the followers of other religions. In order to communicate with the younger generation and to convey the true values of Islam, we use social networks", noted the first deputy chairman of the RMC.

During the meeting, Rushan Abbyasov informed the delegates about the projects and programs of the Russia Muftis Council and the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, in particular, the Moscow International Quran Reciting Competition, the Moscow Halal Expo exhibition, the International Spiritual Silk Road Conference.

At the end of the meeting, diplomats from more than 27 embassies of EU countries thanked the Russian Muftis Council for their hospitality.