TEHRAN - Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei has said that “dialogue” is the only way to solve problems in the Middle East.

“Islam is the religion of dialogue and enjoys a great civilization and the solution to the current problems in the Islamic world is dialogue,” he told an international conference on proximity of religions on Friday.

He called the conference an “important” and “effective” step given the current regional situation.

He said the conference is a step to boost unity among the Muslims.

Sanaei also pointed to capacities of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought and the Russian Council of Muftis, saying the two bodies can expand cooperation.

The WFPIST as well as Tehran’s Ecumenical Society is a forum that was established on October 1990 by order of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the reconciliation between different Islamic schools and branches.

The Russian Council of Muftis is a religious group representing the Muslim community of Russia. It was founded on July 2, 1996. The chairman of the council is the spiritual leader of the Muslims of Russia.

NA/PA