The Mayor of Kazan invited the participants of KazanForum to the first founding meeting of the association, which will take place in the capital of Tatarstan in June
«In October, we will host the BRICS Summit under Russia’s presidency. During discussions with colleagues from the member countries, we came up with an idea, and we proposed the initiative to hold the first founding meeting of the BRICS+ Cities Association in Kazan in June. There is a whole range of work that we, as mayors of capitals, can and must advance in the future. I see great prospects in the future work of the BRICS+ Cities Association,» said Ilsur Metshin.
Speakers of the Session
Speakers of the Rossotrudnichestvo session «The Islamic World and the Development of Sister City Relations: What’s Next?», held at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center, included the head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Albir Krganov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Dmitry Volvach, Vice-Rector for External Relations of Kazan Federal University, Timirkhan Alishev, and others. The session was moderated by the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Evgeny Primakov.
- Ilsur Metshin opened the session. In his speech, he shared the 25-year experience of Kazan’s cooperation with municipalities from all over the world. To date, agreements and treaties on twin city relations are in effect with 71 cities. The capital of Tatarstan closely collaborates with Turkey, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and other countries. The first to join the cooperation in the late 1990s were cities from Central Asia: Tashkent, Bishkek, Astana, and Almaty.
- Rossotrudnichestvo has 79 contacts between Kazan and other cities, which include not only formal twinning relationships but also agreements on friendly cooperation. «Thank you, Kazan and Tatarstan. You are right, our cultural centers scattered around the world are your homes and platforms. Rossotrudnichestvo greatly appreciates this collaboration,» said Evgeny Primakov.
