On May 29, 2019, the Russian-Chinese working group for contacts and cooperation in religious sphere held its 7th meeting at the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The previous meeting took place on March 22, 2018, in Beijing.
The bilateral meeting was attended by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the DECR; Mr. V. Nazarenko, deputy head of the Russian Presidential Directorate for Foreign Policy; S. Melnikov, executive secretary of the Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations; Rushan khazrat Abbyasov, first vice-chairman of the Council of Muftis in Russia; Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; V. Yegorov, head of the UNESCO chair, Presidential Academy of Public Service; A. Shmanevsky, deputy director of the MFA First Department for Asia; D. Petrovsky, DECR; Ildar khazrat Galeyev, head of the Council of Muftis international department; and G. Zhigarkov, second secretary of the MFA First Department for Asia.
The delegation of the Chinese People’s Republic state directorate for religious affairs was led by Mr. Wu Guosheng. It included representatives of national religious associations including Ze Wu, deputy chairman of the Chinese Buddhists Association; Meng Zhiling, deputy chairman of the Chinese Taoist Association; and Cong Enlin, deputy chairman of the Chinese Islamic Association.
The participants exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues concerning cooperation and pointed to the importance of interaction of traditional religions in Russia and China.
