Metropolitan Kirill spoke at the Russia-ASEAN Forum session.

      From June 17 to 19, the fifth in-person Russia – ASEAN summit is taking place in Kazan. The international forum is attended by heads of state and government from 11 Southeast Asian countries and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. On June 17, Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan attended the opening of the business program and participated in the session "Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values and Models of State-Religious Relations in Russia and ASEAN Countries." The events took place at the Kazan IT Park. The moderator of the session dedicated to traditional spiritual and moral values was the director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences; president of the National Coordination Center for International Business Cooperation, Kirill Babaev. Participants in the session included advisor to the Department of the President of the Russian Federation for Domestic Policy Pavel Kostylev, special representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for international cooperation in ensuring the right to freedom of religion Mikhail Melekh, leading researcher at the Center for "State and Religion in Asia" of the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vsevolod Zolotukhin, advisor to the director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Petrovsky, head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Buddhists Sergey Kirishov, head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia Albir Krganov, and mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin.

      At the session, Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan spoke:

      "Esteemed assembly! Dear muftis! I greet you all and thank you for the opportunity to speak at the Forum. Just this morning, on my way to the summit's opening, I was reflecting on the appropriateness of our participation in it.

      The forum is political, business-oriented... What are we – religious figures – doing here? And at that moment of reflection, I came across a statement by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the Internet:

      'We must turn to God in prayer when addressing tasks of immense importance. That is why today the Church bears its witness, including in the world of politics, in the world of economics. It addresses words to those in power because there must be God's presence everywhere – in the great and in the small; because all our life must be dedicated to God, for God is our Father, and we are His children.'

      These words of His Holiness the Patriarch became an answer to my reflections.

      I was invited to the Forum to share the experience of our Republic.

      For us, the residents of Tatarstan, many questions regarding the everyday life of believers seem naive. We are so accustomed to cooperation and collaboration that there is nothing surprising to us in the friendship of archbishops and muftis, priests and khazrats. Our churches stand next to mosques. Clergy and khazrats visit each other, drinking tea together. No one interferes with anyone. Some honor Sunday, others Friday. Often we celebrate holidays on the same day. The Great Lent, which precedes the Bright Resurrection of Christ, and the sacred month of Ramadan for Muslims coincide. Good neighborliness and mutual cooperation are absolutely natural for us.

      President Vladimir Putin said: 'Kazan is an example of how well representatives of different cultures and religions interact.' This is indeed the case. In Tatarstan, it is not surprising that Muslims help build a church, and Orthodox Christians participate in the construction of a mosque. Muslims congratulate Orthodox Christians on Easter and Christmas. Orthodox Christians congratulate Muslims on Kurban Bayram and Uraza Bayram. For us, this is the norm.

      Three years ago, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was invited as the main guest to the Forum 'Russia – Islamic World. KazanForum.' At this Islamic forum, the head of the Russian Church said: 'If we talk about a point of support, then for Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Russia, it is primarily the rootedness of both Orthodoxy and Islam in our national life. We do not perceive each other as foreigners or as people with whom we must be cautious — because it is unknown what the reaction to your words will be. For centuries we have lived together, worked together, and Russia is the very country that does not know religious wars. The contribution of Tatarstan to this tradition of peaceful coexistence of two religions — Orthodoxy and Islam — is very significant, and the experience of Tatarstan is of immense importance...'.

      His Holiness the Patriarch very accurately noted that 'Muslims and Orthodox Christians are connected not only by joyful but also by tragic memories. We are united by history and, if you will, by the blood of our joint struggle against the enemy — so much so that even the most malicious forces are incapable of destroying our unity, the true brotherhood that today holds great significance as Russia, defending traditional values, stands against many countries.'

      The wise King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs says: 'He who wants to have friends must himself be friendly; and there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother' (Prov. 18:25).

      We cherish our friendship. The established good relations are a great treasure that must be preserved. It is very important that we all understand that we live in one country. Our country is our common home.

      Once I was at a forum where François Mitterrand (President of France from 1981 to 1995) spoke. He said: 'Europe is a common home. But in the house, there is also an attic, a basement, a mezzanine, and grand rooms, and other premises.' And we live in equally good rooms of one large house called Russia. And this is of immense value to us.

      Our city of Kazan is one of the centers of special veneration of the Mother of God. The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a symbol of our unity. The national holiday of the Day of National Unity is celebrated on November 4, on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which was established in memory of the liberation of Moscow and Russia from foreign invaders. In 1552, Kazan was captured by Ivan IV. And half a century later, in 1612, the people living in this territory, without changing their faith and remaining Muslims, joined the militia of Minin and Pozharsky. The militia entered Moscow and liberated the city with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

      Unity, sealed by blood many centuries ago, and our present community, is our immense treasure. Glory to God for this! May God grant us to continue living in peace and harmony.

      ***

      The Russia – ASEAN summit is timed to the 35th anniversary of relations between our country and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

      During the anniversary meeting, the leaders will review the strategic partnership between Russia and ASEAN and outline new areas of cooperation in political, economic, and humanitarian spheres. An exchange of views on current international and regional issues is also planned. A number of joint documents are expected to be adopted, including the Kazan Declaration and the Comprehensive Action Plan Russia – ASEAN."