President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev met delegation of the World bank

Today President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev has received the delegation of the World bank led by director and the constant representative of the World Bank in Russia Kristalina Georgieva at the Kremlin. Welcoming the guests, Mintimer Shaimiev noted, that the land of Tatarstan always had its own statehood, strong traditions and customs. « It is the soil where there had been a tolerance between people of different nationalities and creeds. I do not think, that it is our merit - so it had developed from times immemorial, and it, first of all, wisdom of peoples, - the head of republic emphasized. - If something relates to our merits this is a skill on turning points of history to keep friendship and mutual understanding ».

During meeting Kristalina Georgieva and Mintimer Shaimiev have signed the Memorandum of mutual understanding relating to cooperation between the International bank of reconstruction and development and Republic of Tatarstan. In the document it is marked, that the Republic Tatarstan is interested in cooperation with IBRD and other structural divisions of the World bank group in solving actual problems in sphere of the government and economy (including: development of investment climate, reforms in agriculture and higher education, decrease in emission into atmosphere of hotbed gases). IBRD will render the services to republic on free of charge basis or by means of tools of crediting available at its order or carrying out the role in assisting realization of global initiatives.

The parties have reached mutual understanding and made the decision to conduct teamwork in the following areas: consideration of technical contents of concrete directions of cooperation, definition of priority directions of cooperation and achievement of the main arrangement on concrete plans of action and resource needs{requirements}, the coordination of the program of cooperation with corresponding federal departments, etc.

Upon termination of a meeting Mintimer Shaimiev and Kristalina Georgieva answered the questions of mass media representatives . The President of Tatarstan reminded that cooperation of our republic with the World bank has been carried out already for a significant time. As known, in last year February the World bank approved granting the loan at a rate of 125 million US dollars on financing of the Project of municipal development of the Kazan city. The first tranche of the loan in amount of 50 million dollars was received in October, 2005. The second tranche for the sum of 75 million dollars Kazan should receive within this year.