1st International Inter-Religious Youth Forum opens in Dagestan

The 1st International Inter-Religious Youth Forum has opened today on the coast of the Caspian Sea, not far from Makhachkala. Over 100 young people aged 16-30 from Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Stavropol Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, South Ossetia and Azerbaijan will take part in the forum.

Petr Pavlov, the director of the Forum, clarified that it was organized to form and strengthen the spiritual and ethical values of young people, teach a positive perception of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the region. Attendees of the Forum will meet religious, political and public figures, take part in sports events, training and role games.

The Forum was organized by the government of Dagestan, the Makhachkala Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Dagestani Muslim Administration, the Interregional Youth Laboratory for Problems of Development of the Caucasus, the Fund for Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education, and religious and youth organizations of North and South Ossetia.