Tatarstan’s leader meets with ambassadors in Russia as part of KazanForum 2024

By Mert Davut and Handan Kazanci

KAZAN, Tatarstan (AA) – Tatarstan's trade and economic relations with countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have improved dramatically, said the leader of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan on Wednesday.

Republic of Tatarstan Rais (Head) Rustam Minnikhanov made the remarks at the 15th international economic summit Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024, which is running between May 14 and 19 in Kazan, Tatarstan's capital, with Turkish global news service agency Anadolu as its global communications partner.

Addressing the ambassadors, Minnikhanov said trade with Egypt, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Tunisia, Türkiye, and several states has grown significantly.

“We are strengthening connections with the partners from the countries of Asia and Africa,” he added.

He pointed out that Tatarstan is one of Russia's industrial centers, saying, "We produce vehicles, aeroplanes, helicopters, ships, and we are the largest processor of oil, related products, petrochemistry, and mineral fertilizer production." And we are a major agricultural production center."

Noting that the event has become “a good tradition” for opportunities for cooperation, Minnikhanov said the forum has been “quite packed” with sessions, discussions, roundtables on Islamic finance, partnership banking, entrepreneurship, investment, logistics, halal lifestyle, diplomacy, and many other issues.

“Russia and the countries of the OIC interact on the basis of the well-balanced approaches to a number of problems in the modern world,” he said.

“The Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most industrially developed regions of Russia and one of the most innovative regions of our country as well,” he said.

Noting the upcoming meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Group of Strategic Vision, he said that it is one of Russia’s active and operational mechanisms for interaction with the Islamic world.

Tanju Bilgic, Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, was one of the envoys who spoke during the meeting.

The Turkish envoy said Türkiye and Russia “are having a very good cooperation.”

Noting Türkiye and Russia aim to reach $100 billion in trade volume, Bilgic said: “Last year our trade volume was around $56 billion. Tatarstan is very instrumental in reaching that target.”

Bilgic also mentioned that the current target trade volume between Tatarstan and Türkiye is about $2.9 billion, with Tatarstan accounting for one-third of Turkish investments in Russia.

"We have invested more than $2.5 billion in Tatarstan," he added.