International conference of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences has opened in Kazan

The 16th International Conference of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences "Science,technology, innovation for sustainable development of the Islamic world" opened in Kazan on Monday. This scientific forum is being held in Russia for the first time. The President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev, attended the conference.

It is planned that the participants of the conference will voice the position of the scientific elite on such issues as sustainable development of the world, relations and interaction of science and media, science and politics. The Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) with the support of UNESCO endeavors to revive the interest of the scientific community and the entire society to the history of science in the Islamic world and to its classical conception.

Three plenary meetings are planned as well as round table discussions "Science and media", "Role and functions of academies of sciences" and "History of science in the Islamic world".

The organizers of the 16th International scientific conference "Science, technology, innovation for sustainable development of the Islamic world" are the Academy of Sciences of the Islamic world, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

It is noteworthy that the conference was held only in Muslim developing countries - Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, Malaysia, Senegal, Sudan, Iran, Tunis and Morocco.

The conference is to close on August 28 and is expected to be attended by over a hundred of Russian academicians, politicians, scientists and researchers, representatives of academies of sciences from other countries.

The international conference is conducted in Kazan at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan and the management of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Tatarstan makes a significant contribution to the development of a wide dialogue between Russia and the Islamic world: it takes an active part in the work of the Group of the "Strategic Vision: Russia - Islamic world", interacts with League of the Arab States, the IRCICA, the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture, in every possible way promotes closer cooperation with the Muslim world. In August 2006, the forum of the Group of Strategic Vision: "Russia - Islamic world" took place in Kazan: in June 2008, the capital of Tatarstan hosted the international investment conference held together with the Islamic Development Bank. In 2007, the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev, was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam.