Rustam Minnikhanov and Valeriy Falkov welcome participants of the V Kazan Global Youth Summit

On 29 August the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valeriy Falkov welcomed participants of the V Kazan Global Youth Summit held in Kazan on 26-30 August and which brought together 250 people from 50 countries, including nations from the BRICS and the OIC and the Asia-Pacific region.

In his speech the Rais of the republic noted that the meeting is taking place in the Center of Unique Craftsmanship. “This is a bright example of how we treat our cultural heritage, a unique project for our country and a place for educational stories. Here the best craftsmen share their knowledge with our children and young people,” he said.

Rustam Minnikhanov noted that the development of humanitarian cooperation is one of priorities of the republic and thanked the leadership of the ISESCO for having awarded Kazan the title of the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World in 2026.

“Tatarstan possesses substantial experience in building up a dialogue with young people from Islamic countries as well as with the BRICS, the SCO and Asian-Pacific states. Projects of the Academy of Youth Diplomacy foster strengthening of friendly relations with youth communities all over the world and implementation of joint international initiatives,” he emphasized and also noted that the republic actively develops a network of school diplomacy clubs which unite teenagers from more than 60 regions of Russia and 24 countries.

“Dear friends! I welcome you in Tatarstan. We are interested in your experience and new joint projects and initiatives,” Rustam Minnikhanov concluded.

In his turn Valeriy Falkov noted that in the era of global changes, the work with the youth gains special value.  “Realizing a potential of each individual and developing his or her talents are designated as national development goals in Russia. Modern challenges require training of highly qualified personnel. At the same time education should shape critical thinking, readiness to use new technologies, while preserving the cultural identity and moral values. Russia is open for foreign students. Today there are about 422 thousand foreign students from 185 countries studying in Russia,” he said.