Mintimer Shaimiev took part in the 4th Congress of the World Congress of Tatars

December 13, the plenary meeting of the 4th Congress of the World Congress of Tatars opened in the Musa Jalil Tatar Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev took part in the meeting.
Opening the meeting, Farid Mukhametshin reminded the gathering that the first congress of the WCT had taken place 15 years ago. Ties among Tatars residing in various parts of the world became stronger, Tatarstan’s prestige on the international arena grew, and conditions for the development of the language and national culture were created during this period. “This congress is taking place during the new historic stage of Russian development when new conditions for political relationship between the republic and federal centre are arising. Thinking about the future of the Tatar people, desire to preserve and develop the native language and culture are uniting us all”, said the chairman.
Out of 765 delegates, 175 represent Tatarstan cities and districts, 414 arrived from more than 60 Russian regions, and 174 people came from 32 foreign countries.
“Signing a decree on conducting the 1st Congress of the World Congress of Tatars 15 years ago, in my heart of hearts I hoped that the Tatar national movement would become such a large-scale event. The fact that the next congress brought together over a thousand compatriots from all over the world proved that we had chosen the right way”, President Mintimer Shaimiev marked in his speech. He called the World Congress of Tatars “one of the most successful projects” in history of the Tatar people.