On the final day of the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi, a meeting of the International Secretariat, chairmen and rapporteurs of the commissions of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (MAP) was held. In this event, parliamentarians of 12 countries, including from Syria, took part. The Russian delegation was headed by Sergey Gavrilov, chairman of the State Duma Committee for the Development of Civil Society, issues of public and religious associations. Within the framework of this forum, the members of the Secretariat outlined plans for further functioning and prioritizing the forthcoming 2018, proposed cooperation with the Arab Parliaments, and discussed the possibility of interaction with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. In particular, members of the MAP Secretariat discussed the topic “Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East”.
Sergei Gavrilov noted the importance of constructive dialogue between parliamentarians, including with colleagues from the Arab world. “At the heart of any lawmaking should be morality,” – said the Russian politician. He also stressed that “In a situation in which international terrorism is recognized as the main threat to the modern world, the most often, sadly, acting under Islamic slogans, the experience of Russian civilization is of particular value. Christians and Muslims, as well as representatives of other traditional religions, not only peacefully coexist for many centuries in Russia, but also are full participants in a joint civilizational project to create Russian statehood. At the same time, today we should never rest on our laurels and avoid solving problems, especially in the sphere of interethnic and inter-confessional relations. ”
Today, October 23, members of the International Secretariat and chairmen and rapporteurs of the commissions of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy will continue their work.
And on the eve of the Sochi Art Museum an exhibition “Athos. Holy Mountain “. The exposition includes photographs and engravings that tell about the life of the monks of Athos, about the beauty of the surroundings of the holy place and its history. This exhibition was formed from the collections of the Athos photo archives and the Pinakothek.
The Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy is an interparliamentary organization created at the initiative of the Greek parliament. The first conference with the participation of Orthodox parliamentarians of European countries was held in June 1993 in Ormilia (Chalkidiki). Within the framework of the current meeting of the MAP Secretariat, a preliminary discussion of the plan for the anniversary events of the 25th General Assembly was held in Athens in June 2018.