Cairo, MINA – Egypt’s Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the highest center of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, has called on Russia and Ukraine to resolve their conflicts through dialogue.
“I urge Russia and Ukraine to refer to the voice of reason,” Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, said in a statement, Anadolu Agency reported.
“War will only bring destruction and hatred to our world and that conflict can only be resolved through dialogue,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.
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He claimed that Moscow had no plans to occupy its neighbour, but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy promised to defend the country, the West announced sanctions against Moscow, including actions targeting Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into neighboring countries, including Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was exerting efforts to reach a ceasefire to stop the fighting. (T/RE1)
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