On Friday, January 24, a delegation of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) visited the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. The delegation was led by Abdulhadi Turus and included the coordinators Cevilay Yildirim, Muhammed Musa Budak, Vahit Borek; Mustafa Cem Gunduz (Counselor of the Turkish Embassy), Omar Faruk Savuran (Counselor for Religious Affairs), Rais Yanglichev (employee of the Religious Affairs Department).

The delegation was received by the first deputy chairman of the Russia Muftis Council, Rushan Abbyasov, who conveyed greetings on behalf of the religious leader of Russian Muslims, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin.

The meeting was also attended by the  Damir Khairetdinov, deputy chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, and Ildar Galeyev, head of the International Department of the Russian Muftis Council.

During the meeting, Rushan Abbyasov emphasized that Muslims of Russia and the Turkish Republic had been cooperating in numerous areas for many years. The parties discussed the issues related to the implementation of joint projects, in particular, those related to education, advanced training of imams, book publishing, academic conferences, as well as participation of the Turkish representatives in major events organized by the RMC, including the International Quran Reciting Competition, which will be held in April 2020.

“We have implemented a number of important joint projects, such as the construction of mosques and Islamic centers, over the years of cooperation. During the month of Ramadan, we have imams from Turkey who come to our country to conduct tarawih prayers in different mosques. In addition, following the example of Turkey, we launched a large-scale charity project called “The Ramadhan Tent”. Another major joint project was the Encyclopedia of Islam. Apart from that, we will soon present our unique photo project in Turkey - “Islamic traditions in Russia,” said Rushan Abbyasov.

Abdulhadi Turus spoke about the activities of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), which was established with the support of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2010. According to him, one of the most important activities of the organization is to help the Turkish compatriots abroad.

“Another priority was to improve the life of our communities. We are trying to strengthen not only historical ties, but also cultural and religious ones, ”he said.

According to the head of YTB, the organization offers a unique Turkish scholarship project. Based on this educational program, around 20 000 students from different countries study in Turkey, including about 1 500 Russian students. This project is carried out by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities in conjunction with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.

The parties emphasized the importance of developing bilateral relations and agreed on the implementation of various joint projects and programs.