On August 14, Tatarstan State Counsellor Mintimer Shaimiev and  IRCICA Director General Khalit Eren took part in an opening ceremony of the VI International Bolgar Forum, which is held in Tatartsan within the framework of the programme “Kazan is the cultural capital of the Turkic World 2014”.

Established at the initiative of Tatarstan, the International Bolgar Forum is held annually to bring together specialists, who deal with the history, culture and heritage of the Bolgar civilization. In the past two years, the forum has become a platform for coordination and exchange of knowledge between scientists from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Kazakhstan and other countries.

Welcoming the guests and participants of the forum, Mintimer Shaimiev noted that the meeting is held in a significant year: upon decision of TURKSOY, Kazan was announced the cultural capital of the Turkic World 2014. Moreover, the Bolgar Historical and Architectural Complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List this year.

"We have come a long and very difficult way to this success. In the past 15 years, with direct support of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Government, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, national and world communities, a great job on the revival of Bolgar and Sviyazhsk has been done in the republic,” Shaimiev said.

He said that Bolgar and Sviyazhsk are becoming "locomotives" of the development of tourism and museum industry in the country.

"Of course, much work remains to be done. We have ambitious plans for developing educational programmes, expanding exhibits, improving tourism infrastructure, transport accessibility and so on," Tatarstan State Counsellor continued.

In this regard, according to him, the experience of colleagues, who have successfully engaged in the research, museum and restoration activities, is particularly important for Tatarstan.

Shaimiev expressed his confidence that the Bolgar Forum will be an important factor for strengthening international cooperation, open up new areas and opportunities for the creation of high-tech, information-rich museum infrastructure.

To the point, the main topic of the VI Bolgar Forum is "The study, preservation and restoration of historical and cultural heritage of the Turkic world." More than 40 scientists, managers and employees of museum organizations, cultural workers from Europe, Russia and CIS countries have presented their scientific researches.

II Museums’ Forum of TURKSOY member countries, three topical discussions on the museum business, tourism, historical and spiritual aspects of the Turkic civilization, and a number of official meetings will be held within the framework of the VI International Bolgar Forum.