Russia, Islamic world dialog expected to form strategic alliance

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http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=10825

Moscow (ANTARA News) - Russia, formerly part of the dissolved superpower Soviet Union, has drawn international attention by hosting a dialog on "Strategic Vision, Russia - The Islamic World" here on March 27-28, 2006.

Present in the dialog were 17 Islamic leaders from Muslims populated countries and a representative of Rabithah Al Islami. The meeting was organized by a Russian NGO, but in fact the organizer was a former government official in this state.

The meeting presided over by Evgeny Maksimovich Primakov, former Russian Prime Minister during Boris Yeltsin leadership. At the opening of the meeting, Primakov read out a written message of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian Head of Government revealed in his message that the Russian foreign policy gives priority to the dialog with the Islamic world. He explained that Russia has a long history of the Islamic world, relating to the aspects of economy, security, science/technology and culture.