Journalists discuss Russian-Muslim relations

Journalists in Moscow have been discussing relations between the Russian Federation and Muslim countries at a conference entitled “The Islamic factor in Russian politics”.

Aleksey Malashenko from the Carnegie Moscow Centre, a specialist on Islam in post-Soviet states, was the main speaker.

He told Russia Today that he doesn't think Russia's relations with Islamic countries are affected by its policies in Chechnya.

‘I think there is no deep relationship between the situation in Chechnya and Russian foreign policy as far as Muslim world is concerned. But at the same time I have to remind that the days and the years of the Chechen wars none of the Muslim states recongnised the independence of the Chechen republic of Ichkeria. And it proved and proves that all the time Muslims, Muslim politicians support the idea of entity of Russia,’ Mr Malashenko claimed.