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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with members of Tatarstan’s Muslim and Orthodox clergy, Mufti Ildus Faizov and Father Superior Pitirim of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin

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Transcript of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Hello!

Ildus Hazrat Faizov: Hello! Let me thank your, Mr Putin, on behalf of the entire Muslim community; your personal visit gives us great encouragement.

Vladimir Putin: I’m sure that many people [here, in Tatarstan] now want support both from muftis and Orthodox priests. I believe spiritual leaders can do a great deal to help people get through such tough moments in their lives. Moral support often – or always, rather -- matters more than material and administrative help. I hope that together, you will do everything possible to support those in need.

Ildus Hazrat Faizov: Thanks a lot. We are around day and night.

Pitirim: There are several people on standby there. It was particularly hard on the first few days following the tragedy. It came as a shock, you know.

Vladimir Putin: Orphaned children, parents who have lost their kids… It’s a nightmare.

Pitirim: I’d like to say that thanks God, there’s a sense of unity in Tatarstan, and it’s something we should treasure.

Vladimir Putin: Even material things may have a moral dimension, I think. Earlier today, [President of Tatarstan] Rustam Minnikhanov announced his decision to provide financial support to the survivors and the families of those killed [in the shipwreck] regardless of where they live, whether it be in Tatarstan or elsewhere. Sure, this is about material support, but there’s a moral aspect to this gesture, I believe.

These are things that secular authorities must take care of. But without your support, it would be too hard to cope.

Rustam Minnikhkanov: We’ll build an orthodox chapel and a Muslim one out there so that people could come and mourn.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, Mr Minnikhanov and I discussed what kind of memorial should be set up near the shipwreck site.

Rustam Minnikhkanov: There’s a beautiful spot over there, by the riverside.

Ildus Hazrat Faizov: We’ll do all we can.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much indeed.