Ildar Alyautdinov, deputy chairman of the Russian Muftis Council, Mufti of Moscow, met with Naim Hassan, religious leader of the Lebanese Druze.

The meeting was also attended by Bashir Burgus, head of the Takaful charity organization, Riyadh al-Khatib, executive director, and Dr Daniyal Basbus, member of the board.

The head of the Russian delegation conveyed greetings from Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Russian Muftis Council. Ildar Alyautdinov expressed high opinion of the work of Sheikh Naim Hassan aimed at bringing closer different confessions in the Lebanese society. He noted that it was very important for Russian Muslims and Lebanese Druze to establish and strengthen inter-religious dialogue in their countries.

Ildar Alyautdinov informed the participants of the meeting about the objectives of his visit to Lebanon. The delegation was to provide humanitarian assistance to orphans, Syrian refugees living in the Beqaa valley. That included distribution of food supplies and warm clothes to more than 2100 people, as well as providing financial assistance to the families affected by the explosion in the port of Beirut. All assistance was provided by the Zakat charity fund.

The leader of the Druze community said: "The community has a longstanding relationship with Russian Muslims, which dates back to my predecessor Kamal Jumblatt, and we hope that with the help of the Russian Embassy in Lebanon our cooperation will remain as productive".

Sheikh Naim Hassan praised the work of Russian Muslims, noting that "we are grateful to the Muslims of Russia for these charitable initiatives aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to children and families in need in these times of hardship".