A ceremony was held in the Emperor's Ballroom today with participation by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.

While opening the proceedings, Rector Ilshat Gafurov reminded that the decision was made by the KFU Academic Council in October 2017. He said, “Paths of Kazakh and Tatar people have been intertwined. We are close in mentality and spirit, we share holidays and traditions, and we don’t need interpreters to understand each other. It’s important to recall today that Kazan University has historically been an important link between our peoples.” Indeed, there are 500 Kazakhstani students here today, and there are strategic partnerships with 11 universities of the Central Asian country. Ties in petroleum industry, business education, and public administration training are especially fruitful.

The Rector then handed over the diploma and the ribbon of honor to President Nazarbayev. The latter, according to the tradition, gave a lecture, saying, in particular, “Kazan Federal University is one of the oldest educational institutions in Russia and is widely known in the scientific community. It is valued for its rich academic infrastructure and high-quality research. It is represented in the top tiers of global rankings and is the best federal university in Russia. That’s why it’s especially pleasant to know that Kazakhstani students attend it.”

Mr. Nazarbayev emphasized that Kazakhstan has always abided by its eagerness to preserve friendly relations with Russia and its many peoples. He said that Tatarstan and Kazakhstan share their vision of new trends of education and science. According to the guest’s remarks, KFU's successful development is mirrored in Kazakhstan’s practices – the country's universities also recruit personnel and students from abroad and try to integrate best global practices into their work. His new status as Doctor Honoris Causa may serve to bring Kazakhstani and Kazanian science closer, concluded the awardee.

Source text: Darya Bondarenko

Translation: Yury Nurmeev