NEWS

Tatarstan producers should be ready to compete in the foreign market. On the threshold of Russia’s admission to the World Trade Organisation, this issue was discussed at the meeting of President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and Chairman of the RF State Duma for economic policy, entrepreneurship and tourism Valeriy Draganov on May 17th in the Kazan Kremlin. On June 1, the Russian Federation will enter a common legal space of the WTO. Tatarstan co-operates with more than a hundred countries and should take part in elaboration of Russian bills according to the rules of international trade.

A symbol of constructive work and renewal of the energy complex of the republic President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev called a new office of OAO “Tatenergo” at the opening ceremony on May 15. At the ceremony present were RT deputies Prime Minister Zilya Valeyeva and Alexei Pakhomov, deputy Chairman of the RT State Council Yury Kamaltynov, Kazan Mayor Kamil Iskhakov, other officials, power engineering specialists and constructors.

At the meeting with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on May 12, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev reported on the course of the preparation for the celebration of Kazan’s millenium. The President of Tatarstan marked that on the whole the works are going on according to the schedule, though they had had to make some changes – some objects will be commissioned earlier than it was planned before, while the deadline of some will be postponed to a later period. While underway is the Programme of dilapidated housing liquidation, 35 thousand families have moved to new flats, Mintimer Shaimiev said.

The president of the Republic of Tatarstan signed decrees on celebrating Sabantuy and Karavon festivals. This year, Sabantuy will be held in rural areas and district centres of the republic on June 5-6, in Zelenodolsk and Nizhnekamsk – June 12, Naberezhnye Chelny – June 13, Kazan – June 19.

The inauguration ceremony of President of Russia will take place on 7th March in Moscow. Acting head of the state Vladimir Putin, who won the presidential election on March 14, will take a position of President of the Russian Federation for the second time. From the Republic of Tatarstan to the inauguration invited are RT President Mintimer Shaimiev and Head of RT President’s Administration Ekzam Gubaidullin, who headed the election headquarters of the candidate to the RT President Vladimir Putin in Tatarstan.

Cooperation in different spheres – oil prospecting and extraction, oil and gas industry, production of machine oil, high blocks construction – was discussed at the meeting of Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev and President of “Mostazafan and Janbazan Foundation” Mohammed Froozande at the Kazan Kremlin.
The participants of the meeting were: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation Golamreza Shafei, Deputy President of “Mostazafan and Janbazan Foundation” Asgari Bashkani, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the RT President Timur Akulov, Director General of OAO “Tatneft” Shafagat Takhautdinov, et al.

On April 27, at the Kazan Kremlin, RT President Mintimer Shaimiev conducted a meeting with a focus on “Ensuring legality by officials of the executive bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan in exercising their functions”. The talks ranged from ways of fighting against economic crimes to bribe-taking in policlinics. The meeting was attended by RT Prime-minister Rustam Minnikhanov, Chairman of the RT State Council Farid Mukhametshin, head of ministries and administrations, et al.

On April 23 at the Kazan Kremlin, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev met with Chairman of the State Assembly of the Republic of Altai Igor Yaimov. During the meeting, the Tatarstan President and the Chairman of the State Assembly of Altai discussed the concept of the further interaction. In 2006, the Republic of Altai will celebrate the 250th anniversary of joining Russia. Igor Yaimov invited Mintimer Shaimiev to the forthcoming celebrations.

On April 21, the Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, general-colonel Nikolay Patrushev arrived in Kazan. He will introduce the new head of the Directorate of the FSB of the Russian Federation in the RT. President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev met the guest at the international airport "Kazan". Alexander Gusev, the former head of the RF UFSB in the RT, was elected deputy of the Tatarstan State Council of Tatarstan on April 14.

Improvement of Tatarstan-Uzbekistan relations was discussed at the meeting of Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Uzbekistan Farit Mukhametshin on April 19 at the Kazan Kremlin. The large Uzbekistan market is not widely used today, but many Western and Russian companies plan to integrate into the economy of the country. A number of agreements had been signed with Tatarstan, but due to objective reasons, non-convertible currency in particular, they did not work as good as wished.