Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Russia Muftis Council and the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, received a high delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran headed by Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Chief Advisor to the religious leader of Iran. The delegation included Mr Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to the Russian Federation, and the Embassy employees: Mr Hojjat Kaboudi, (Cultural Advisor), Mr Masoud Ahmadvand (head of the Iranian Cultural Centre of the Embassy), and Mr Saber Akbari Jiddi (director of the Islamic Centre). The meeting was also attended by Rushan Abbyasov, first deputy chairman of the RMC, and Ildar Galeyev, head of the International Department.

At the beginning of the meeting Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin conveyed his greetings and best wishes to the Iranian leader and people of Iran on behalf of Russian Muslims and himself. He also noted that contacts between the population of both countries have a long history, which certainly contributes to the development of current cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On the 33rd anniversary of the death of the religious leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini, which takes place on June 4, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin expressed his condolences to the people of Iran and its leaders and wished further developement for the country.

The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini once addressed Mr. Gorbachev to draw his attention to the powerful creative potential of the true faith. I had the honor to meet a high-ranking Iranian delegation headed by Ayatollah Javadi Amoli at the Moscow airport", recalled the Mufti.

In his letter, Khomeini wrote: "When the words "Allahu Akbar!" and the testimony of the prophetic mission of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was heard from the minarets of mosques in some of your republics seventy years later, all those adhering to the true Islam of Muhammad cried with happiness"

"Alhamdulillah, the words of remembrance of Allah can now be heard from more than 8,000 mosques across Russia. These words of the leader of the Islamic Revolution in his time demonstrate his sincere empathy for the cause of Islam in Russia", said the head of the RMC.

The parties also discussed the cooperation between the RBMRF and relevant ministries and departments of Iran. Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin praised the work of the The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, which was one of the major foreign partners of Russian Muslims during the active revival of Islam. "It should be noted that the late Ayatollah Ali Taskhiri, whom I consider to be one of my teachers, was at the origins of this Organization", said Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin.

The parties also mentioned active cooperation with the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, as well as its participation in the RMC projects with the support of the Embassy of Iran in Russia and the Islamic and Cultural Centres of the Embassy.

The Iranian Ambassador in Moscow, Mr. Kazem Jalali said that the Embassy of Iran valued the contacts and relations with the Relifious Board of Muslims of Russia.

Dr Haddad Adel said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have friendly and sincere relations. "Iran and Russia are very close today. This is due to the political stance of the countries' leaders and current events," he added.

The two sides also unanimously agreed that terrorism in the name of Islam is a huge danger, and Russia and Iran should cooperate in order to defeat it.

At the end of the meeting the participants stressed the importance of developing a dialogue based on the similarity of the two countries' positions with regard to major global and regional challenges.