Nader Bakkar, an official representative and one of the founders of the influential Egyptian Salafi political party al-Nour told RIA Novosti that its delegation plans to visit Russia in the near future.
Nader Bakkar, an official representative and one of the founders of the influential Egyptian Salafi political party al-Nour told RIA Novosti that its delegation plans to visit Russia in the near future.
Egyptian Salafis, which represent one of the most conservative trends in Islam, have received an opportunity to conduct legal political activities, following the downfall of the Hosni Mubarak regime.
“We would like to visit Russia and meet with Russian politicians and experts,” said Bakkar at the conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Marrakech.
He said that people in Russia know little about the al-Nour Party, which is playing a major role in Egypt’s political life following the downfall of the President Mubarak regime. “We will tell Russian officials about our party, its goals and our view of Egyptian-Russian relations,” Bakkar said. He added that the delegation also plans to discuss Russia’s role in the Syrian crisis.
The date of the visit has not yet been fixed. The visit will be part of the international tour of the party leadership delegation. “We have started a tour of Europe and have already been to France, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Now we plan to visit Spain and Britain,” Bakkar said.
At the elections in early 2012, the Salafi al-Nour Party, one of the biggest in Egypt, received more than 20% of votes, coming in second to the Freedom and Justice Party established by the Muslim Brotherhood. This latter party and the Salafis had the absolute majority in the Egyptian parliament before its dissolution.
RIA Novosti
