MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Iranian parliamentary speaker met in Moscow Monday to discuss interfaith dialogue.

Patriarch Alexy II and Islamic Consultative Assembly Chair Gholam-Ali Haddad-adel praised the work of the joint Russian-Iranian commission for Islamic-Orthodox dialogue. Alexy II said it was "an exemplar of mutually beneficial cooperation" proving that "together, we can counter attempts to impose secular values all over."

"I believe Orthodox Christians and Muslims are united in their desire to prevent the construction of a unipolar world order, which would enable the imposition of certain political and cultural patterns across the globe," the Russian patriarch said.