NEWS

Discussions of Russian-Turkish relations and their prospects proceeded in Ankara on December 6, the second day of the official visit to Turkey by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The programme of the official delegation of the Russian Federation, in which President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev was included, started with the visit to the Ataturk Memorial. The spotlight was the meeting of President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Ahmet Sezer and negotiations on issues of development of bilateral cooperation.

On December 15, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin arrived in Ankara for a two-day official visit. Turkish President Ahmet Sezer met the head of the Russian state at the airport. As a member of the official delegation, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev arrived in Ankara an hour and a half before President Putin. At the airport he was met by Ambassador of Russia Petr Stegny, First Deputy Ministry of Finance of Turkey Hasan Atkan, and RT Plenipotentiary Representative in Turkey Ramil Mavlyutov.

On December 1, in the Kazan Kremlin President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Russian Federation Mr. Lars Vissing. Head of the Presidential Administration Mr. Ekzam Gubaidullin, RT Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy and Industry Mr. Alexei Pakhomov, General Manager of the European Institute of Environmental Energy (EIEE) Mr. Sten Stenstrup and other officials took part in the meeting.

The international specialised exhibition "Energy. Resources saving", which has already become a tradition, opened on December 1 in the Expo-centre "Kazan Fair". It is held in parallel with the 5th international symposium "Resources efficiency and power saving" and the exhibition-presentation of the enterprises and companies of the Kingdom of Denmark in the field of development of energy and water sectors. President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, RT Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Russian Federation Lars Vissing opened the exposition.

Tatarstan is prepared to launch a pilot project in the Russian Federation to fight corruption. On November 30, at the session attended by RT President Mintimer Shaimiev, the RT Security Council approved the strategy of the republic's anti-corruption policy. The work over this document started after the Decree of the President was signed on July 12, 2004, it set up the Commission for the development of the strategy of the anti-corruption policy in the republic, headed by RT First Deputy Prime Minister Ravil Muratov.

Today, President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev conducted a working meeting on development of the system of local self-government in the republic. The meeting was atteneded by RT Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, Chairman of the RT State Council Farid Mukhametshin, RT First Deputy Prime Minister Ravil Muratov, Head of the Presidential Administration Ekzam Gubaidullin, et al.

In the Kazan Kremlin RT President Mintimer Shaimiev met with Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) Mr. Mongi Bousnina, who arrived in the capital of Tatarstan to take part in the celebrations of the 200th Anniversary of Kazan State University.

Today, "United Russia" should work towards raising the authority of the party, declared President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev at the celebrations of the anniversary of Kazan State University on November 17. In opinion of the President of Tatarstan, despite of difficulties of establishing the multiparty system in our society, the party with a parliamentary majority cannot be unaccomplished. However, in conditions when we are building a civil society, and further it is supposed to carry out elections only on party lists, the other parties should also consider it: "the other parties have to be accomplished either".

Accepting these or other legislative proposals, preparing them and discussing, the party should take into account the opinion of regional branches, otherwise it will be united by its form, but not by spirit, the Co-Chairman of the Higher Council of the United Russia party, President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev declared at the seventh special conference of the Tatarstan regional branch of the party, on November 13th.

President M.Shaimiev congratulated people of Tatarstan on the occasion of the Day of the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan.