It took less than 30 minutes for the UNESCO committee to approve the application.

17 committee members spoke in favor of the induction, including representatives of Turkey, Peru, Lebanon, Kuwait, Tunisia, Vietnam, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and other countries.

Among the application points that were praised was the correctness of criteria selection. This included two of the standard UNESCO criteria – second (to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design) and fourth (to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change).

The team which prepared nomination included employees of KFU World Heritage Resource Center, Revival Foundation, Ministry of Culture of Tatarstan, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, and some other organizations and institutions. Restoration and preservation works on the Cathedral were also very highly regarded by the committee.

Head of the World Heritage Resource Center, Vice-President of the Russian Committee of ICOMOS Rafael Valeev told us, “As the head of the team which conducted the work on the nomination profile I am fully satisfied. Our efforts received a high mark from the international community, which was expressed in the congratulations from UNESCO representatives”.

Director of the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies Ramil Khayrutdinov added, "These outstanding results – two UNESCO World Heritage objects in three years – became possible in no small part thanks to the Revival Foundation, a very well planned work by KFU researchers, inclusion of ICOMOS and UNESCO experts, and the overall reputation of the University as an institution with excellent expertise in heritage studies and preservation. A large part was played by Mintimer Shaimiev with his political clout and Executive Director of the Revival Foundation Tatyana Larionova. Thanks to support by Rector Ilshat Gafurov, who is a member of the Revival Foundation's International Expert Council, we were able to utilize all KFU's resources, as well as those of our overseas partners, to work in Bolgar and Sviyazhsk".

World Heritage Resource Center and Revival Foundation already have other plans. There are several potential heritage objects in Tatarstan, and preliminary works have started on them. In particular, Russian corridors of the Silk Road may soon join the list.