NEWS

The Kazan Kremlin, RT President Mintimer Shaimiev presented state awards of the Russian Federation and Tatarstan to the best workers of the republic. The high awards were conferred on 41 Tatarstanians, among which there are doctors, teachers, art workers, turners, machine operators, machine engineers. The order of Honour was conferred on chief physician of children's republican clinical hospital Eugeny Karpukhin.

On March 9, the House of Arts for arts and cultural workers of the Republic of Tatarstan opened on the territory of the health center “Vasilyevskiy” in Sosnovy Bor (Pinery).
President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev took part in the opening ceremony and marked that the House of Arts would be a wonderful place for work and rest for creative intelligentsia of Tatarstan.

The European Ombudsman Conference will take place in Kazan this year in October. That is the decision made at the meeting of RT President Mintimer Shaimiev and the chief director of the European Ombudsman Institute, Nikolaus Schwaerzler. The meeting was held on March 3 in the Kazan Kremlin. Earlier, the European Ombudsman Association, which residence is in Ginsburg (Austria), approved of holding the conference in Kazan. They believe that the symposium will help the ombudsmen working in the East and West get closer.

RT President Mintimer Shaimiev described the situation in the republic on the eve of the election of the RF President and deputies to the RT State Council on March 3. The President had an interview with Sinsuke Ishikava, the chief journalist of the broadcasting company NHK (Japan).
The interview will be included into the series of special reports “Russia through the prism of elections”. The program will be broadcasted in Japan and English.

The Tatarstan-France relationship will receive an impetus. That was the task set by RT President Mintimer Shaimiev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia in the Russian Federation Jean Cadet in the Kazan Kremlin on March 1.
Earlier, France was among the first five trade partners, but today it’s on the twelve place. Both contracting parties admitted that the commodity circulation is low, there are few joint enterprises, and the cooperation between industrial factories is poorly developed.

The new draft treaty on Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Powers between the Republic of Tatarstan and the Russian Federation is prepared, RT President Mintimer Shaimiev said at the meeting with the delegation of foreign journalists. The meeting took place in the Kazan Kremlin on February 27. The previous treaty is still valid, but it needs to be reconsidered due to contradiction with the Tatarstan Constitution. The Federal law has been changed, so should be the Treaty.

RT President Mintimer Shaimiev visited Vysokogorsky district on February 28. OOO “GranTash”, the stone-processing factory, was the first place visited by the head of the republic.
The construction of the factory was caused by the oncoming city millenium, construction of the subway in the capital of the republic and the continually increasing demand for high quality natural stone finish.

The 21st session of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan proceeded on February 26.
Seven draft laws were approved in the first reading. The deputies considered 27 draft federal laws. One of them was turned down. Head of the Parliament Farid Mukhametshin summed up the results of the activity of the 2nd convocation State Council. President Shaimiev expressed gratitude to the Parliament for the work fulfilled.

Results achieved in the agricultural complex of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2003, its further development and strategy were discussed at the seminar held in Bogaty Saby (Tatarstan) on February 24. The seminar was attended by RT President Mintimer Shaimiev, RT Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, heads of republican ministries, cities and districts, agricultural companies.
President underlined that today Tatarstan keeps the lowest prices for bread. Prices for dairy products will rise gradually, but bread and some dairy products will be available to all people of the republic.

The second day of Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev’s visit to the Kama zone started with opening of a new school building in the Kalmiya village (Tukayevsky district, Tatarstan). Attention to the rural district providing to one of the biggest towns of the republic is understandable. In opinion of Tatarstan’s head, it is capable to achieve efficiency of producing competitive products.