At the meeting of the RT State Council Tatarstan President delivered the Annual Address to the parliament

The 42nd meeting of the RT State Council of the 3rd convocation was held in the Salikh Saidashev Grand Concert Hall. RT President Mintimer Shaimiev delivered the annual Address to the republican parliament.

The Chairman and members of the RT Government, deputies of the RF State Duma, members of the RF Federation Council, RT plenipotentiary and permanent representatives in Russian regions and abroad, officials of the RT Central Electoral Commission, deputies of the Kazan Municipal Duma, members of the RT Public Chamber, representatives of judicial bodies, heads of municipal districts and city districts, organizations and enterprises, institutions of higher education, journalists, representatives of creative unions, clergymen, businessmen, bankers, etc. were invited to the session.

The President of Tatarstan started his speech with an analysis of the current situation around the global financial crisis.

He said that the present stage of social development is associated with the beginning of the global crisis phenomena in the financial and stock markets. "There is a growing understanding of the relatively successful period of development of global economic processes being replaced with a chain of trials," Mintimer Shaimiev said.

"In spite of the fact that now the crisis affects us rather essentially, we estimate the prospects of the republic as quite optimistic. The basis for such confidence is large-scale social and economic programmes successfully implemented over the recent years," the President emphasized.

Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev believes that an important factor in the development of Tatarstan is developing external ties and inter-regional cooperation of the republic.

He said that in this direction it is necessary to make an emphasis not only on broader international contacts, but also on increasing their efficiency. Strengthening international cooperation with traditionally priority partners from the CIS countries, the states of the Middle East, Tatarstan becomes a player in the process of globalization, brings an important contribution to realization of the new concept of Russia's foreign policy.

In the field of external relations, the RT President marked some hallmark events of 2008: visits to Tatarstan by Turkmenistan President, Prime-minister of Azerbaijan, meeting with the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait.

Kazan hosted such large events as the international forum on investment problems, held together with financial group "Euromoney", the 16th international scientific conference of the Academy of Sciences of the Islamic World, the International Investment Conference organized for the first time together with the Islamic Development Bank. The results were quick. The Kuwait-Tatarstan Investment Company is beginning to operate; it will focus on attracting capital from the Arab world to our republic.

The RT President also said that on the threshold of the Universiade in Kazan it is necessary to initiate international youth forums to take place in the republic in 2009-2012. 
 

"KSU should become the centre of the new federal university. At the same time it is necessary not to lose rich scientific and educational potential of our other institutions of higher education."

"In spite of difficulties, I am sure that we will succeed. We educated, hardworking and united. We can!" the President of the Republic of Tatarstan summed up his speech.