Zelensky meets with muftis and calls for dialog with Donbas and Crimea Friday, May 3, 2019 8:00:58 AM

On Thursday 2 May, Ukraine’s President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky met with local muftis and other Muslim religious figures, according to a Facebook post by Ismagilov, the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine “Ummah”.

The mufti says he received a phone call from Zelensky’s assistant, inviting him to the meeting.

“Volodymyr Zelensky gave each person a turn to express their views. When I spoke, I emphasized the importance of the highest religious rights and freedoms declared in the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine, the active involvement of Muslims in the protection of the unity and liberty of Ukraine, our positive role in the development of civil society, active charity activity, and openness to inter-religious dialog and cooperation with Ukrainians with other worldviews,” he wrote.

The Muslim leaders told the future head of state about the infringement of such rights and freedoms in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas.

According to Ismagilov, Zelensky then said that he is striving for the unification, reconciliation and consolidation of all Ukrainians, and urged the religious figures to facilitate this. The newly elected president also asked them to invite foreign investors to invest in Ukraine.

“Overall, the impressions were positive. I was most surprised by the speed at which Mr Zelensky’s team reacted, and Mr Zelensky’s extreme openness, that he spoke to us for almost two hours and listened to everyone present,” the mufti observed.

Zelensky’s press service noted that it made the arrangements after Ismagilov expressed interest in such a meeting in a Facebook post.

Zelensky highlighted the importance of “starting constructive and open dialog with all Ukrainian citizens, especially in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas”.

“I call on members of the various religions and religious confessions to support us in this initiative – to start dialog with the Ukrainians who are currently in the temporarily occupied territories. We believe that this is the first step that can be taken to bring them home, to Ukraine,” his press service cited him as saying.

Zelensky also met with Metropolitan Onufriy, head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, on Monday.

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