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Representative of the Russian Church attends business forum on the development of relations with Africa

Representative of the Russian Church attends business forum on the development of relations with Africa
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26 January 2022 year 14:51

On January 24, 2022, with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR), Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, took part in the business forum “Russia-Ethiopia-Djibouti: Prospects for Business Development” held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (RF CCI). The forum has been organized by the Coordinating Committee for Economic Cooperation with African Countries (AFROCOM), which develops programs for cooperation of the Russian Federation with the countries on the African continent and expanded these programs after the Russia-Africa summit held in Sochi in 2019.

Mr. Igor N. Morozov, a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and AFROCOM chairman, served as moderator of the forum, taking part in which were H.E. Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Russian Federation; H.E. Yevgeny Terekhin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the FDRE; H.E. Mikhail Golovanov, Ambassador the Russian Federation to the Republic of Djibouti and the Federal Republic of Somalia; Counsellor K. Mohamed of the Embassy of the Republic of Djibouti to the Russian Federation; Mr. Alexander Kopkov, director of the Foreign Relations Department of the RF CCI; Dr. Stanislav Mezentsev, AFROCOM executive director; and members of the business community of Russia, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The participants discussed key areas of cooperation among Russia, Ethiopia and Djibouti at the level of pubic organizations and large and medium business. Attention was paid to humanitarian work in the African countries and the extension of contacts with them.

Hieromonk Stefan greeted the participants and pointed out the significance of the long-term cooperation of Russia with the African countries, noting a special place of Ethiopia and Djibouti. Speaking about the current extensive work of the Russian Orthodox Church on the African continent, he emphasized the significance of the Moscow Patriarchate’s relations with the local Christian communities, and in particular with the Ethiopian Church, which is the largest and oldest one in the country. Fr. Stefan also spoke about the activities of the Interreligious working group for the protection of believers from discrimination and xenophobia at the Council for cooperation with religious associations under the President of the Russian Federation and about the group’s projects providing aid and support to persecuted Christians.

Specific mention was made of the important recent decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church regarding the establishment of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa to coordinate the Moscow Patriarchate’s work on the continent. African Christians see in Russia and in the Russian Orthodox Church pillar and hope in terms of protecting the canonical order, traditional Christian values and religious freedoms.

DECR Communication Service/Patriarchia.ru

Representative of the Russian Church attends business forum on the development of relations with Africa
Version: Russian, Greek