Tatarstan President: «KazanSummit – the main platform of cooperation between Russia and OIC countries»

Welcoming the participants of one of the key events of KazanSummit 2014 – Strategic Forum – Rustam Minnikhanov underscored that the International Economic Summit demonstrates the willingness of Russia and Tatarstan to communicate with the Islamic world.

«KazanSummit – it's a good opportunity to show the investment potential of Tatarstan and the Russian regions, as well as the openness and desire to strengthen cooperation between Russia and the Muslim countries», - said the head of the republic.

A key theme of the Strategic Forum in this year is a food security. Noting the importance of the stated theme, Mr. Minnikhanov noted that the problems of food security raise the need to look for new solutions. For example, in the case of shortages of land and water potential, lack of adequate resources. The President noted that in this case the cooperation with Russia, especially with Tatarstan is needed.

Talking about the possibilities of Tatarstan agriculture, Rustam Minnikhanov said that today the Republic ranks first in the country for the production of milk, the second – for the production of potatoes and meat, 7th place – by sugar beet. It was also noted that the agro-industrial complex of Tatarstan not only provides the population of the republic, but also is being a stable supplier of agricultural products to other regions of the Russian Federation and abroad.

Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri underscored the depth of strategic ties between OIC countries. According to him, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have great potential in foreign trade. In the UAE, the minister added, know about Tatarstan and its areas, and other features to implement successful projects in agriculture.

Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia Ilyas Umahanov noted the great potential of the Russian Federation in agriculture. According to him, Russia has a lot of fertile land, but not all of them are now in production, and the country's leadership is ready to offer them for the implementation of investment projects in the agricultural sector.

Minister for EU Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu called Tatarstan gate to enter the Russian market for Turkish companies. Turkish investments in 2014 is estimated at 1.5 billion dollars. A significant role in attracting these investments plays attitude of the region’s leadership to create comfortable conditions for business.

Tatarstan invitation to participate in the OIC production of halal products program (it is annually allocated $ 24 billion) announced OIC Director for Economic Affairs Ahmed Al Khater. He also stated the need for more active use of the OIC institutions, in particular, the Islamic Development Bank. The same thought said Konstantin Shuvalov, noting that it is possible to create much more stable economic ties, «not complicated by dictate».

In the Strategic Forum was signed an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and Russia's largest retail chain – X5 Retail Group.

Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Press Service