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Unveiling of Grand Mosque to strengthen peace in Russia and among states — chief mufti

Russian, Turkish and Palestinian leaders Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mahmoud Abbas are attending the opening ceremony of Moscow’s Grand Mosque

Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Russia’s Muftis Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Russia’s Muftis

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

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Russia’s top lawmaker calls Grand Mosque’s opening a milestone event

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. The opening of Moscow’s Grand Mosque will help strengthen peace and fraternal relations between the peoples of Russia and other states, Dr. Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Russia’s Muftis, said at the unveiling ceremony following ten years of reconstruction work on the mosque.

"This is an historical event, promoting peace, good-neighborly and mutually advantageous relations of countries, peoples and cultures," Gainutdin said. "Russia is a heir and worthy successor of all cultures and religions of the Eurasian space," he said. "Moscow’s Grand Mosque is a symbol of our belief, our unity," he added.

Russian, Turkish and Palestinian leaders Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mahmoud Abbas are attending the opening ceremony of Moscow’s Grand Mosque.

The heads of the Russian republics of Chechnya, Tatarstan, Ingushetia and Dagestan, as well as the Moscow mayor are also taking part in the ceremony.

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One of Europe’s biggest mosques opens in Moscow after 10 years of construction work

The event also brought together thousands of Muslims.

Moscow’s Grand Mosque has opened after a decade of construction work to become one of the biggest places of worship in Europe.

As a result of the construction work, the building’s floor space has been increased twenty-fold to 19,000 square meters and the mosque will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people simultaneously.

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