The President of Senegal Macky Sall at a meeting with Rustam Minnikhanov: You have churches and mosques nearby - this example should be adopted by all countries

On July 26, speaking at a meeting with the President of Senegal Macky Sall in the Kazan Kremlin, the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov said: “I am pleased to welcome the delegation of Senegal to Tatarstan. I want to thank you for taking the opportunity and time to visit our republic during the visit to the Russian Federation to participate in the Russia–Africa Summit. Your visit is of great value and significance”.

Addressing the guest, Minnikhanov emphasized that last year Macky Sall was the Chairman of the African Union and in this capacity he also visited Russia. In addition, Sall is making efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict: in June of the current year, a delegation of leaders from a number of African countries, including the President of Senegal, held talks in Kiev and Moscow and proposed an “African plan” for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

The volumes of trade and economic cooperation between Tatarstan and Senegal are still small. Tatarstan, as an export-oriented republic with a powerful industrial potential, is ready to supply the widest range of products and in turn, to import goods from Senegal. In different years, products were supplied to Senegal - KAMAZ vehicles, helicopters manufactured by Kazan Helicopter Plant. There are good prospects in engineering, petrochemistry, agriculture and innovative industries. International Economic Forum «Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum» held annually is a good platform for meeting official and business circles, Minnikhanov said. This year the event was held for the first time in the federal format and brought together more than 16,000 guests from more than 80 countries.

The Senegalese delegation also took part in the forum and presented the products at the Russia Halal Expo exhibition. Tatarstan is a pilot region for the implementation of principles of Islamic (partner) banking and financing in Russia, Minnikhanov emphasized. The halal industry is being developed. Today Tatarstan is one of the leading and industrialized regions, the oil fields of the republic have been developed since 1943. In total, Tatarstan produced more than 35 million tonnes of oil last year. The republic is developing petrochemistry and oil refining. Cars, planes, helicopters, ships, machine-building products are produced in Tatarstan, about half of industrial goods are exported.

The Rais of Tatarstan focused on the possibilities of developing humanitarian contacts - in education, culture, tourism, sports. Tatarstan is rightfully considered one of the leading scientific centers of Russia, where fundamental and applied research in advanced areas of science is being carried out. More than 20,000 foreign students are studying in Tatarstan universities.

He thanked the President of Senegal for the visit and assured of the desire for mutually beneficial cooperation.

In his turn, the President of Senegal thanked for the warm welcome. He also emphasized that he intends to strengthen the work on developing relations between Senegal and Tatarstan as one of the regions of Russia. “Tatarstan is a Muslim region. I lead a country where 93-95 percent are Muslims, our secret to stability is also tolerance and peaceful coexistence with other religions. I have seen churches and mosques standing nearby - this example is worthy of admiration, it should be adopted by all countries,” he said.