Chairman of the Tatarstan State Council Farid Mukhametshin is participating in XXIII session of the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe. The composition of statutory committees has been approved within the framework of plenary sessions.

Head of the Tatarstan Parliament was unanimously elected Chairman of Committee on urgent issues of the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe.

Thus, for the first time since Russia entered the Council of Europe in 1996 Russia’s official has headed one the main committees of the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe.

Farid Mukhametshin thanked colleagues for confidence vested in him and noted that during the period of his work in the Congress he had obtained a substantial experience in promoting European values, goals and principles at the regional and local levels.

Head of the Tatarstan Parliament said that he was willing to continue sharing the Tatarstan experience in the sphere of preservation and enrichment of traditions of tolerance and peaceful co-existence of different cultures and confessions, social unity and sustainable development.

Head of the Russian delegation in the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe, Deputy Chairman of the federation Council of the Federal Assembly Svetlana Orlova commented on election of Chairman of the Tatarstan State Council for the post of Chairman of the Committee on urgent issues by telephone from Strasbourg.

She reminded that within the framework of work in the Congress the Russian delegation stands up for certain principle positions, including overcoming the financial crisis, development of “green industry”, promotion of energy efficiency and energy saving, support of regional authorities and sustainable development.

Svetlana Orlova supposes that election of Farid Mukhametshin for the post of Chairman of the Committee on urgent issues opens new opportunities for Tatarstan in terms of presenting Universiade.

“It demonstrates big confidence in the Russian delegation and proves that we perform tangible and efficient work in the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe,” Farid Mukhametshin said.