The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Moscow hosted a meeting between Mufti Rushan Abbyasov, Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation for International Affairs, and Mr Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to the Russian Federation. The meeting was attended by Rasul Botashev, deputy head of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise ‘Main Centre for Special Communication’ for interaction with government authorities, and Anzor Musaev, representative of the business community. The main topics were the strengthening of cultural and religious interaction between the two countries, as well as the prospects for future co-operation within the framework of the expanding BRICS association.

Rushan Hazrat conveyed greetings to Mr Ambassador on behalf of the Chairman of the RBM of the Russian Federation, Chief Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, and spoke about the key events organised by the RBM of the Russian Federation this year. In particular, he paid attention to the events held in Kazan in July, including the BRICS Holy Quran Award and the meeting of leaders of Muslim organisations, which resulted in the adoption of a joint resolution stressing the spiritual unity of Muslims of the participating countries. Separately, Russian Mufties Rushan Abbyasov noted that Russia welcomed Indonesia's aspiration to join BRICS, seeing in this step additional opportunities for Islamic interaction in the international arena.

In addition, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian RBM informed Mr Tavares about the upcoming XXII Moscow International Quran Recitation Competition scheduled for early November, noting the traditionally high level of preparation of Indonesian participants, who annually perform well at the competition. He also recalled the significance of the exhibition ‘Traditions of Islam in Russia’ held in Jakarta in February 2019 and emphasised its role in bringing peoples closer together, noting that the exposition attracted great interest among Indonesian residents.

In his response, Mr Ambassador praised the development of Russian-Indonesian relations. He recalled his participation in the BRICS Heads of State Summit held in Kazan, where he accompanied the Indonesian Foreign Minister, and expressed Indonesia's interest in joining this international association. The Ambassador pointed out the importance of bilateral co-operation in the field of halal industry and Islamic banking, stressing that on his part he intends to actively contribute to this process.

Mr Tavares also noted the importance of the long-standing ties between the Russian RBM and the largest Muslim organisations in Indonesia, such as Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, calling these ties an important contribution to building trust and cultural exchange between the Muslim communities of Russia and Indonesia.