The sides met at breakfast on Sunday, 15th April.

Kazan Federal University hosted a meeting of the members of the Workgroup on the Organization and Monitoring of the Implementation of the Action Plan to Provide Training for Specialists with an In-Depth Knowledge of the History and Culture of Islam in 2017-2020. Rector Ilshat Gafurov and President of the Institute of Oriental Studies (IOS) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Supervisor of KFU Islamica Center Vitaly Naumkin listened to the proposals from the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies on the development of additional forms of cooperation.

In particular, Institute Director Ramil Khayrutdinov spoke about the results of joint work in 2017 within the framework of the current Partnership Agreement between KFU and the Institute of Oriental Studies: lecture series, the establishment of the Bolgar Islamic Academy, and the 7th International Forum "Islam in a Multicultural World". An important achievement was the decision to create a network of Islamica Centers across Russia. In addition, in 2017, the partners actively interacted with the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan in conducting courses for imams and teachers of religious schools, as well as optimizing individual programs and entire curricula offered in such educational institutions.

The key topic of the report, however, was the prospects for expanding cooperation. As part of the conversation, the parties returned to discussing the details of the project to create the KFU Situation Center which will presumably focus on analytical studies of the sociocultural, political and economic situation in the countries of the Islamic world, and especially in the Middle East. In March 2018, the parties discussed a model on which the Situation Center will be based. Another plan is the expected creation of the Joint Department of Islamic Studies at the IOS. Details of the agreements have not yet been disclosed, but it is expected that both structures will begin work this year.

As for the Action Plan for Islamic education, the results will soon be presented at the 5th Moscow International Education Fair. The Fair opens on 18th April under the chairmanship of Vice-Premier Olga Golodets and Minister of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva.

On Monday, the Moscow guests gave lectures – Vitaly Naumkin spoke about global ummah, and Head of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the IOS Vasily Kuznetsov shared his outlook on the sociopolitical transformations in the Middle East.