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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Secretary General!

First of all, I would like to thank you for taking part in the international conference on Afghanistan. This is an important event, and it is no accident that so many foreign guests have been invited. We really appreciate that you, the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, are also taking part in this event.

Russia and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference have a special relationship. We are not just observers in the Organisation, but also want to develop sound, full-fledged relations with the Organisation in various formats and on various platforms.

This is because we understand the role that the Organisation plays in the Islamic world, and Russia, as a multi-faith nation with citizens who are members of various religions, including Islam, would naturally like to develop sound ties to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Islamic world.

You have just discussed the problem of resolving the situation in Afghanistan. This is a very complex issue. Nonetheless, there are also other issues that we must absolutely consult on, particularly the situation in the Middle East. And Russia, as one of the participants in the process of Middle East Reconciliation, is also interested in cooperating with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

This year, we would like to hold a corresponding event in Moscow, a conference on the Middle East. We have noted the positive role played by the donor conference in Sharm el Sheikh, and in that regard, we still have much to do in order to do our own part in regulating the situation in the Middle East.

Our relations do not centre only on problem issues. We have an effective Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies, and a Foundation to Support Islamic Culture. These are all areas in which we hope to cooperate productively with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. And in this regard, we are very happy to see you in our country.

Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) EKMELEDDIN IHSANOGLU: I would like to thank you very much for your warm welcome. I appreciate it. Our thanks and our appreciation to the Russian President and the Russian Government for organising this meeting and for inviting us to the Afghanistan Special Conference.

OIC and the Muslim world appreciate very much the membership and the special relationship built between the Russian Federation and the OIC as an organisation, and also between the Russian Federation and members of the OIC. We are happy to develop this relationship.

I think the idea of the special meeting on Afghanistan within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is an excellent idea and the way I have seen the configuration today, I hope that will be conducive to solving many problems. And the approach, which is a comprehensive approach, I would say, is an identical approach to what we believe should be the solution for Afghanistan. This is why, in my statement, I explicitly and openly expressed our support to the statement and the outcome of the meeting.

As for the Middle East issue, Mr President, I would like to give you some fresh information about my last visit. This war on Gaza was live, it was on the TVs, everybody has seen it, no need to tell more about the destruction. But the human touch with the people there, when you visit the camps and you meet people whose houses were destroyed for no reason, and the tragedy they are living there – an old lady grabbed my hand and said, “you come in here, what are you doing there, every day people come in here and look, we haven’t seen anything. This house was mine, it’s destroyed, my village is destroyed, my orange garden is destroyed, I did nothing to anybody, why should I pay this price?”

When you hear these stories, you see that here you have this tragedy of 60 years, and the Muslim world is looking forward to your support, and we are looking forward to the meeting you are planning to do, and I think the world should face the reality that there is a tragedy of 60 years which is not so good, and there should be a time to solve this.

As for your remarks on the Centre of Islamic Studies, I would like to express my happiness as a former scholar; I visited this institution yesterday, and I was very glad to see that here is a very excellent nucleus of a big academic enterprise. I have listened to the explanation of the director, and I have seen the collection of some ethnographic artefacts, a small library starting that is a great idea, and I have seen the design of the building. I think this is a wonderful project and we will wholeheartedly support that. And I will do that not only in my capacity as the Secretary of the OIC, but as a former colleague of the scholars, I will certainly do that, and I am pleased to know this.