Mintimer Shaimiev met with participants of the X World Russian Press Congress

June 14, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev met with participants of the X World Russian Press Congress in the Kazan Kremlin. As many as 77 heads of Russian-language mass-media and journalists came to Kazan from 31 countries.

The X World Russian Press Congress was taking place in Moscow on June 10-13, and was attended by more than a thousand mass-media representatives from 65 countries. June 11, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke at the forum. In addition to Tatarstan, the group of participants of the X World Russian Press Congress is to visit St. Petersburg.

"I would like to thank you for your making it for the East and coming to Kazan after fruitful work in Moscow. You hold congresses in different cities of the world and through these forums you keep in touch, it is good for you and it is even more important that through doing this you keep in contact with Russia. You undertake the most humane and human mission: wherever people live, they miss their mother tongue and traditions," Mintimer Shaimiev said in his welcome speech.

The President of Tatarstan talked with journalists for more than 2 hours. At the end of the official part of the meeting, ITAR-TASS deputy director general Aleksander Klein presented Mintimer Shaimiev with a sign of honorary member of the World Association of Russian press. "The President of Tatarstan made a big contribution to the cultural balance that exists in the republic and that makes a significant contribution to Russia's cultural balance," Alexander Klein said.