A meeting between Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq Haidar Hadi took place in the residence of the Russia Muftis Council and the Religious Board of Muslims of Russia in the Moscow Cathedral Mosque.

The meeting was also attended by the first secretary of the Embassy, Dr. Ali Al Bayati, the first deputy chairman of the RMC Rushan Abbyasov, the head of the International Department of RMC Ildar Galeev.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Ravil Gaynutdinov touched upon the historical aspects of the relationships between the Russian and Iraqi Muslims.

The religious leader of Russian Muslims conveyed congratulations on the occasion of the complete liberation of Iraqi lands from ISIS militants. "The unity of the Iraqi people, their productive cooperation with foreign partners contributed to the liberation of Iraq from the ISIS evil. There is still much to be done, but the main victory has been secured, " said Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin.

Mr. Hadi expressed a high opinion of the Russian contribution to the victory of the Iraqi people over terrorism.
"Iraq has established friendly relations with Russia. We will continue following this policy in future. The Russians in Iraq are known and respected for keeping their word", said the Ambassador.

The parties discussed ways to strengthen religious contacts between Russia and Iraq in theeducational  field. The Mufti thanked the Ambassador for assistance in the organization of the 10th Galimjan Barudi International Scientific and Educational Conference in 2017.

The parties also discussed  development of bilateral trade and economic ties between Russia and Iraq. In particular, the religious leader of Russian Muslims noted that there were many large-scale federal companies that started producing halal products thanks to the International Centre for Halal Standardization and Certification.

At the end of the meeting, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin wished the Ambassador success in the upcoming session of the Russian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission, which will take place at the end of February.