Results of KazanForum 2023: 130 agreements and 80 participating countries
“Impressions from the forum are very positive, a very representative forum. I looked at the composition: almost all countries of the Middle East are represented by solid delegations. I am confident that KazanForum will give impetus to interaction between Russia and the countries of the Islamic world,” said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin. He emphasized that none of the Muslim countries imposed sanctions against Russia or supported Western restrictions, which indicates their reliability as partners. Delegates from 80 countries took part in the forum events. According to the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, one of the key topics of the forum was the construction of the North-South international transport corridor, since Muslim countries are also interested in exporting Russian agricultural goods and halal products.
KazanForum hosted 6 bilateral conferences: “Russia – Turkey”, “Russia – Egypt”, “Russia – Azerbaijan”, “Russia – Uzbekistan”, “Russia – Malaysia”, “Russia – Iran”. In total, 130 agreements and memorandums were concluded at the forum.
According to Rais Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, the holding of the forum in Kazan once again confirmed Russia’s readiness to build trusting, mutually beneficial relations with the countries of the Islamic world. “KazanForum is the place where our country gets closer to the Islamic world. Today we have taken another step towards each other,” Minnikhanov noted.
As part of the forum, the exhibition “RussiaHalalExpo” was held, at which representatives of 11 countries presented products, including Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The latest samples of large-sized equipment were also shown here, including agricultural machinery, special equipment, and river vessels.
More than 400 manufacturers of high-quality halal products took part in the International Fair Russia Halal Market.
The Forum of Young Diplomats from the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation brought together representatives of 23 states at the KazanForum site. The main topic of discussion was international relations in the era of a multipolar world. These days, a meeting of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia - Islamic World” was held at the Kazan City Hall, in which more than 150 representatives from 30 countries took part. Among the speakers were the Chairman of the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin, the Chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Board of the Russian Federation Ravil Gainutdin, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill. The main message of the meeting and all speeches was the community of spiritual and moral values, which is supported by representatives of Islam and Christianity.
The highlight of the forum was the modest fashion show Modest Fashion Day, organized by designers from Indonesia, Senegal, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The attention of KazanForum guests was attracted by international competitions of chefs from 14 countries, such as Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, Tunisia, etc. World-famous chefs prepared national dishes of their countries according to Halal standards. Forum delegations had the opportunity to try them. The final event of the forum was the holiday “Izge Bolgar Khyeny”, dedicated to the Day of the official adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria. This year about 20 thousand guests came to Bolgar. One of the themes of this year’s holiday was the 840th anniversary of Kul Gali, the author of the poem “Kyssa-i Yusuf” - about the Prophet Yusuf, and the main decoration was the exhibition of authentic relics of the Prophet Muhammad, consisting of ten exhibits.