NEWS

Prospects of Tatarstan-Iran cooperation were discussed at the meeting of Tatarstan State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to the Russian Federation Seyed Mahmoud Reza Sadjadi on February 9.
Farid Mukhametshin expressed content with work of the Consulate General of Iran in Kazan and Consul General Reza Bagban Kondori who takes part in all significant events of the republic. Farid Mukhametshin positively assesses developing cultural contact, such as Iranian cinematographers’ traditional participation in the international film festival “Golden Minbar”.
Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Mr Sadjadi thanked for warm welcome and said he felt homey in Kazan. According to the diplomat, in cooperation with Russia all outstanding officials of Iran wanted to visit Kazan. A good example is the visit of Iran President Seyed Mohammad Khatami to Kazan in 2001. The Iranian ambassador is convinced that the schedule of the incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s official visit to Russia will definitely include Kazan.
The Iranian diplomat pointed out the necessity of establishing contacts in education and science.

The 28th Shalyapin International Opera Festival opened in Kazan on February 8. It is devoted to the 137th birth anniversary of our fellow man, Fyodor Shalyapin.
The festival has gathered a fascinating entry-list of some 40 participants. These include prominent soloists from the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres, singers from Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, the United States, Ukraine, and Sweden.
Shalyapin Festival was founded in Kazan, the singers native town, in 1982. It is a unique event in the history of modern Russian music theatre. It is devoted to the 137th birth anniversary of our fellow man, Fyodor Shalyapin.

A presentation of the project “The World Summer Universiade of 2013 in Kazan” will be made at the Olympics-2010 in Vancouver. Oleg Matytsin informed about it today.
According to his words, the Universiade-2013 presentation will be held in Vancouver at the Russian House on February 13 as part of the all-Russian programme of Kazan Universiade-2013 promotion among the world public. Oleg Matytsin emphasized that the presentation would give an opportunity to show how effectively Tatarstan prepares for the Universiade and which steps had already been accomplished.

The III All-Russia Kazan Islamic book fair will be held at Kazan Mosque Marjani on June 1-14.
Large Russian Islamic publishing houses will take part in the fair-exhibition. Other participants will include Russian Islamic University, the Muslim Library for the Blind, Dagestan Muslim Religious Board and other organizations.

The 28th International Opera Festival named after Fyodor Shalyapin opens on February 8 on the stage of Jalil Tatar Academic State Theatre of Opera and Ballet. This year, it has gathered a fascinating entry-list – some 40 performers from the largest Russian theatres and abroad. The festival programme consists of 10 shows – Jalil Tatar Theatre of Opera and Ballet’s best staging of the recent years. Two gala-concerts will close the festival.

The Kazan Motor Building Production Association, KMPO, in 2010 expects an increase in sales by comparison with 2009. According to the company’s press service, the sales are to grow 5.6 percent.

In August 2010, Kazan is likely to host a large-scale tennis tournament on the basis of the Tennis Academy.
”Most likely, we will hold a women’s tournament with the prize fund of 75 thousand dollars here. That will be the start of organization measures for the Universaide-2013 preparation,” Russia’s Tennis Federation Vice-President Vladimir Lazarev sain on Sunday.

The international conference ‘Islamic Revolution in Iran: civilizational phenomenon and perspectives’ will open in Kazan on February 9. Quite a representative delegation of the Islamic republic of Iran led by Prof. Dr. Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Higher Council of the cultural revolution in Iran, arrived in Kazan to take part in the conference.

February 6, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev. The Head of Russia expressed his gratitude to the current President of the Republic of Tatarstan for his many years of leadership and his contribution to the development of confederate relations in Russia.
Dmitri Medvedev also said that he had signed an executive order awarding Mintimer Shaimiev the Order for Services to the Fatherland, III degree.