OREANDA-NEWS. March 13, 2008. Vladimir Putin sent a message of greeting to the participants and guests of the 11th Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit that is taking place on 13-14 March 2008 in Dakar, Republic of Senegal.

The message reads, in part:

"The Dakar summit represents an important milestone for both Mulims and the entire international community. And this is logical in light of the increasing contribution the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has made to the resolution of contemporary global and regional problems.

Developing relations of friendship and cooperation with the Islamic world represents a strategic policy direction for Russia. This is why we are pleased to note that after obtaining observer status in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, constructive cooperation between Russia and Muslim nations gained new momentum.

Our interaction has a solid foundation: we are linked through our common commitment to strengthening the collective and legal basis of international relations by emphasizing the central role of the United Nations. We are allies in the fight against terrorism, against all forms of political and religious extremism, and against other threats to security and sustainable development in the 21st century.

Just like Muslim states, Russia is greatly concerned by the continuing failure to settle a number of conflict situations. This is why Russian foreign policy has focused on actively promoting a just solution to the Palestinian problem and on generally improving the situation in the Middle East. We are going to continue to do everything possible to reinstate the process of finding a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict. We believe that the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state would end the occupation of Arab territories and allow all states of the region, including Israel, to live in peace, security and to cooperate.

We will continue to support the efforts of Iraqis and the international community, including the OIC and the League of Arab States (LAS), to prevent inter-religious and inter-ethnic divisions within Iraq and the development of the Iraqi national dialogue in order to achieve accord on key issues relating to the country's future.

An equally important task for all of us is to oversee the peaceful resolution of problems related to Iran's nuclear programme, which should, in turn, help strengthen the regime of non-proliferation and the stabilization of the situation in the Persian Gulf region. Russian proposals to establish a system for security and cooperation in the region are also designed with this in mind.

Partnership between Russia and the Islamic world is particularly in demand as tensions between different civilizations increase. We are both concerned about the danger represented by potential divisions in the international community on religious or civilizational grounds and are ready to carry out joint efforts to mitigate this threat.

The Russian Federation intends to continue to actively cooperate with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and to contribute to its activities."