Vladimir Putin: Kazan is a beautiful and ancient city, personifying cultural and confessional diversity of our country

On 17 June the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov took part in a ceremony of an official meeting and a ceremonial reception of Heads of delegations-participants of the Russia-ASEAN Summit on behalf of the Russian President held at the Tatar State Academic Theatre after Galiaskar Kamal in Kazan.

Welcoming the guests, Vladimir Putin said: “We are meeting in Kazan - a beautiful and ancient city, personifying cultural and confessional diversity of our country, its unique historical and spiritual heritage and at the same time it is a modern megapolis open for the whole world. I am sure you yourselves will be able to feel sincere hospitality and cordiality of the Russian people and get acquainted with their rich traditions.”

He noted that the summit is being held under the sign of the 35th anniversary of relations between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “The Summit has gathered together leaders-heads of governments, leading politicians and state leaders from 11 ASEAN countries. The representative composition of the participants convincingly demonstrates the mutual desire of Russia and the states of Southeast Asia to strengthen their partnership and take it to a new, even more advanced level and to ramp up mutually beneficial ties and contacts in politics and security, economics, trade and investment, and the cultural and humanitarian spheres in every possible way” the President of Russia emphasized.