REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN AS CENTRE OF GRAVITY

— Mr. Minnikhanov, allow me to congratulate you on this momentous occasion—the 20th anniversary of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia — Islamic World!” Over the years, the Group has stood the test of time under the most diverse geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions. How was the Group established, and what ideas and principles it serves to advance?

— Islam is an important component of Russia’s multi-ethnic and multi-confessional society. More than 20 million Muslims live in the country. Cooperation with Islamic nations is a key vector of Russia’s foreign policy.

The foundation for the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia — Islamic World” was laid at the turn of the millennium. In 2003, Russian President Putin, at the summit of heads of state and government of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (subsequently the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC) in Malaysia, declared Russia’s intention to join the international organisation. In June 2005, Russia was granted official observer status with the OIC, already comprising 57 Muslim states.

The Group of Strategic Vision “Russia — Islamic World” has become a unique platform for inter-civilisational dialogue, aimed at safeguarding traditional spiritual values and strengthening mutual understanding between the Russian world and Muslim civilisation. The Group’s inception is tied to outstanding Russian statesmen and political figures—Orientalist and Arabist, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and former Prime Minister of Russia, Yevgeny Primakov, and the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation, Mintimer Shaimiev.

Twenty years later, the Group labours on, advancing a just, multipolar world order. It serves as a platform for regular meetings with leaders of Islamic states and organisations. The Group is engaged in information and youth policy and is expanding scientific cooperation.

Over the years, our meetings within the framework of the Group have become traditional, with guests openly discussing pressing issues on the cultural and humanitarian agenda, exchanging experience, and charting further avenues for cooperation. The event continues to expand—today, its geography is not confined to the Islamic world and Russia, and the issues discussed are truly global.

— You have headed the Group since 2014; during your term, several periods in international relations and geopolitics have come and gone. What lessons, drawn from the years past, today define your personal leadership and your approach to building relations with OIC partners?

— Over these years, I have gleaned the principal lesson: one does not gain trust of the other overnight: a single session or a single meeting is not enough. We therefore engage in consistent and systematic work.

We ground our approach in the experience of Tatarstan. Our Republic has always been at the vanguard of engagement with Muslim countries. This course was charted in early 1990s by the first President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. For centuries, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and practitioners of other faiths have lived on the territory of the Republic in peace and harmony. Russia’s accession to the OIC as an observer state constituted an important milestone in the joint efforts of Federal and Republican authorities.

For me, principal for the Group’s work are tangible results. Discussions are important, but we have transitioned to project-based management. Each area constitutes a portfolio of concrete initiatives with a clear, measurable outcome. Such approach is of special value to our partners.

Moreover, nothing can substitute for personal touch. The most significant agreements are forged not in the conference hall, but via personal interaction.

We are grateful to the Russian President for his attention and support.

— Over 20 years of cooperation with the OIC, Tatarstan has gained considerable experience in implementing joint projects. Which of them, in your view, embodies this partnership? Could you highlight the most promising areas of cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world?

— An important milestone in the development of cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world was the establishment of the International Economic Forum “Russia — Islamic World: KazanSummit” (since 2023, the International Economic Forum “Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum”). The first summit was held in Kazan in June 2009, soon to become the leading international platform for deliberating economic cooperation and implementing joint projects.

In 2023, by decree of the Russian President, the forum was bestowed federal status. The Head of the Organising Committee is Deputy Chairman of the Government of Russia Marat Khusnullin. We are grateful to the Head of State and to the Russian Government for facilitating the Group’s activities and supporting our initiatives.

To date, we are implementing joint economic projects with our partners from Muslim states. Cooperation is underway in energy, industry, finance and banking, investment, and the halal industry; technological cooperation and humanitarian ties are also developing. Over the past four years alone, trade turnover between Russia and the OIC has increased by 44%, whilst the number of tourists has grown 2.5-fold.

Tatarstan plays a major role in the process. At the close of 2025 its trade turnover with the OIC exceeded USD 7.35 billion.

The development of the halal segment in external economic activity warrants separate mention. In 2025, the volume of halal product exports from Russia increased to USD 389 million. Tatarstan’s share amounted to 11.5%—USD 45 million. This attests to the Republic’s leading role in developing the sector. The key importers are Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and a number of other Islamic countries. At the same time, we observe growing interest in Southeast Asia and North Africa.

Economic cooperation is coupled by spiritual collective work. In 2017, the Bolgar Islamic Academy was inaugurated in Tatarstan. Its location is sacred to Muslims—the ancient city of Bolgar, where, in 922, our forebears from Volga Bulgaria officially adopted Islam as the state religion.

Our close ties with the Islamic Development Bank, the Academy of Sciences of the Islamic World, ICYF, ICESCO, among others, should also be noted. Each year Tatarstan hosts the Kazan Global Youth Summit.

— What primary objectives do you envision for the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia — Islamic World” for the coming years? What are the plans developing the association?

— We consider it important to develop and strengthen the Group as a permanent analytical platform. We wish for it to possess a formulated expert position on key areas—Islamic finance, logistics, education, and security. To this end, it is important to reinforce ties with the academia, engage leading experts, and publish joint analytical materials.

Another vector is the youth agenda. We are building not merely meeting platforms, but thematic focus groups in specific areas: diplomacy, entrepreneurship, science, culture, and others. This way, we are forging professional connections and equipping young people from Russia and the Islamic world with the tools for joint work.

Tatarstan also continues to support and strengthen ties in public diplomacy with leaders of international Muslim civic and religious associations, heads of leading analytical, scientific, and humanitarian organisations, foundations, and universities in OIC member states.

Our task is to foster and protect the spiritual and moral values shared by Russia and the Islamic world, as well as to engage youth in their preservation and cultivation. Today, these are the most fragile yet most vital values needed by all of humanity. The Group likewise contributes to this process. — Tatarstan has become one of the principal centres attracting business from Islamic countries. Which areas of trade and economic cooperation are given priority today? How do you assess investment activity in the Republic and its attractiveness for investors? — Tatarstan boasts great potential for developing trade and economic ties with partners from Islamic countries. We perceive machine building, energy, agriculture, international transport corridors, humanitarian ties, and many others as favourable. Today, we are engaged in focused work across each of these areas, yielding practical results.

Joint work with investors is a priority. Over the past ten years, investments in the Republic’s economy have more than doubled. Last year, we succeeded in attracting 1.6 trillion roubles in investment. The Republic takes second place in the Russian investment climate rating.

Successful examples of investment cooperation include collaboration with the Arab Tawazun fund, the Emirati Emaar Properties real estate development company, the Malaysian Maharani energy company, and a number of others.

Most promising are mineral extraction, industry, logistics, AI and telecommunications, and the hospitality industry. Most actively investments flow from Asia and the Gulf states.

It is important for us to create the most conducive conditions for investors entering the region. These include tax, customs, and commercial preferences. We offer a favourable business climate, modern infrastructure, and innovative solutions.

— Islamic banking in Tatarstan—is this an experiment or a new reality of financial sovereignty? How do you assess the potential for developing Islamic finance within the EAEU?

— Tatarstan is especially interested in developing the Islamic financial model. Today, it is a genuinely functioning ecosystem. The volume of partnership finance transactions remains stable. In 2025, participants in the Islamic finance experiment in Tatarstan attracted approximately 35 billion roubles, a figure six times that of 2024.

Furthermore, the Republic has gained experience in introducing and promoting the products to the business community and the public. We observe real demand. Since the experiment started, more than 90,000 Islamic debit cards have been issued in Tatarstan, and approximately 900 agreements for acquiring housing have been concluded to a total value exceeding 4 billion roubles.

One of the significant achievements was the opening in Kazan, last December, of the first AAOIFI Representative Office for Russia and the CIS. This is the key international organisation for developing Islamic finance standards. AAOIFI standards allow us to share the language of finance with investors from the many countries Russia is now actively developing economic ties with.

I believe that partnership financing has great potential within the EAEU, including Islamic states that are linked financially, economically, and culturally both to Russia and to the wider Islamic world.

— Kazan has been awarded the 2026 Cultural Capital of the Islamic World status. What does it mean in practice? Which key events await guests, and how will these influence the humanitarian and cultural ties of Tatarstan, and Russia as a whole, with Islamic states?

— First and foremost, I express my gratitude to the ICESCO and OIC leadership for granting this high distinction to Kazan. Tatarstan, as part of multinational Russia, is proud and cherishes the opportunity to contribute to further harmonising and building up these relations. At present, of the 20 million Russian Muslims, more than 2 million reside in the Republic. This renders Tatarstan and its thousand-year-old capital a vital centre for preserving and fostering Islamic culture.

The designation of Kazan as the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World opens new possibilities for international cooperation, exchange of experience, and strengthening ties between diverse cultures and civilisations.

Occasions anticipated for the coming year include Modest Fashion Day, the Kazan International Film Festival, international youth events, among others.

I am confident that the events of the year “Kazan — Cultural Capital of the Islamic World” will become one of the important platforms for fortifying the multifaceted dialogue between Russia and the OIC.

— The Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP), initiated personally by Russia’s President Putin, is attracting ever-growing interest among foreign partners. One of the key sessions of the 17th International Economic Forum “Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum” will cover this topic. What role, you believe, might the OIC member states—many of which are part of Greater Eurasia—play in shaping and developing the GEP?

— The programme of the forthcoming KazanForum includes a special session entitled “Greater Eurasian Partnership: Development Strategy.” It focuses on the initiative of the Russian President to create a framework pooling together the potential of the EAEU, CIS, BRICS, SCO, BRI, and the OIC.

The fundamental objective of the Greater Eurasian Partnership is to align strategic interests and to connect infrastructural and trading systems. In a global sense, it means elaborating a sustainable strategy amidst an emerging multipolar world.

The session will delve deep into specific projects and initiatives fostering a dense network of business and public ties, ensuring the interconnectivity of markets, supply chains, and cooperation across Greater Eurasia—all on an open basis and in the interests of shared benefit and development.

A special role here belongs to the Islamic civilisation. It occupies a significant part of Eurasia and is inextricably linked to it historically, economically, and spiritually. It is precisely this civilisation that may become a key link in forging and reinforcing a commonwealth built upon equality, mutual respect, and common civilisational values.

— The 17th International Economic Forum “Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum” will undoubtedly be a notable and significant international event. What is the role of the Forum in developing Russian–Islamic relations, and what would you like to wish the participants of the event?

— In 2025, the Forum affirmed its status as the principal business platform for economic engagement between Russia and the Islamic world. A total of 8,500 participants from 96 countries worldwide and 82 Russian federal subjects took part in its business programme. One hundred and thirty agreements were concluded. We are grateful to our partners for their joint efforts.

This may, Kazan will once again become a venue for international dialogue. The Forum’s agenda will be no less intensive. The theme of the plenary session is “From Points on the Map to Points of Growth — Uniting Technological and Financial Initiatives.” The Forum will be endowed with particular significance by the solemn events marking the year “Kazan — Cultural Capital of the Islamic World,” the meetings of OIC culture ministers, the ICESCO’s General Conference, and the meeting of OIC national banks organised in partnership with the Central Bank of Russia, at which strategic issues of financial system development, capital market transformation, and partnership finance are to be discussed.

Alongside these events, the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia — Islamic World” will mark its 20th anniversary. This annual meeting of the Group will be titled “Shared Values as the Foundation for Cooperation and Mutual Understanding between Russia and the Islamic World.” Alongside the plenary session, two roundtables will take place. They will cover cultural, humanitarian, and interfaith engagement, as well as scientific, technical, and economic cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world.

I am convinced that the present Forum will give a powerful impetus to the development of cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world, facilitate joint projects, business contacts, and shape new growing points across Eurasia.

I wish all participants fruitful work. Tatarstan looks forward to giving a warm welcome to everyone!