National Conference 'External Relations of Russian Regions: Experience of the Republic of Tatarstan'

Rector Ilshat Gafurov contributed to the plenary session held at the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences.

Speaker of the State Council of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin opened the conference. He noted that it must result in proposals to polish Russian laws in external relations. He also emphasized the importance of education for the future experts in international cooperation because it becomes one of the key success factors for subjects of the Russian Federation.

Head of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (which co-hosts the forum with KFU) Myakzyum Salakhov said, “I want to underline that joint hosting of this conference by the Academy of Sciences and Kazan University once again proves the significance of these two organizations in the Republic’s scientific life.”

KFU is indeed the center of international studies in the Republic. It currently is the home for many research and culture centers, such as Confucius Institute, Center for Indian Studies, Center for Iranian Studies, Center for Japanese Studies, Center for Korean Studies, Spanish Center for Education and Culture, and many others. Naturally, the University also welcomes many major international events, such as BRICS Youth Summit, UNESCO Forum “Preserving Humanity as Imperative for Sustainable Development”, International Olympiad in Informatics, Nauruz Theater and Education Forum, etc.

Rector Ilshat Gafurov commented, “Development of international ties of regional universities becomes important because it stimulates the intellectual potential of their regions. Our practice is aimed as nourishing the human capital – the primary long-term factor of the economy of the future.”

KFU works enthusiastically to widen its network of international ties. The number of international students grows annually and has reached over 5,100 during this enrolment campaign. In total, there are more than 300 agreements with various educational and research organizations from over 50 countries.

The conference takes up November 2nd – 3rd, and some of its events will be held at KFU. As a part of the forum, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Mikhail Bogdanov will give a lecture about the country’s policy in the Middle East.