The plenary session of KazanSummit and Russia Halal Expo took place in Kazan on May 19th.

KazanSummit is a major venue for contacts between Russia and the Muslim word. Rector Ilshat Gafurov showed the University's booth to the guests and said, “We have not only to promote political decisions but also to make sure that our people are ready. We at Kazan Federal University established the Islamica Resource Center and teach specialists about the state and regions where Islam an official religion or a religion of the majority. It's important to remember that people are always the key. They have to be “our” people, proponents of our culture and our historical traditions. Only then the outcome will be positive. The soil must be prepared. That's why our President of Tatarstan, the government, and universities are always engaged in this work”.

The Summit aims at strengthening all kinds of links between Russia and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This year's main topic is Islamic investment and Islamic finance in the global context. Tatarstan is in many regards a pilot region for such projects, and KFU is an active contributor as well. It's only natural because Kazan University has been heavily invested in Islamic studies since day one.

Director of the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies Ramil Khayrutdinov commented, “We study Islamic finance and Islamic law. Everything is based at our Institute, but we have long ago abandoned the constraints of a single-institute approach to things. De facto Kazan University is the coordinating center of Islamic studies in Russia. This is what Minister of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva said after listening to our presentation”.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov shared his ideas in his address to the attendees, “I think that we have to prepare professionals for Islamic banking. This work is underway right now. We have to adapt these criteria to the Russian legal system. There is Kazakhstani experience; there are such specialized structures in Turkey. So which way to choose is still up in the air”.

As the Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World”, he personally supervises many such developments. “We have held serious events in Moscow, in Kazan, and in Grozny. But our main venue is KazanSummit. We meet, we make visits, we cooperate with OIC, Islamic Development Bank, and other structures”, he added.