Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov held a meeting with the Minister of Education of the United Arab Emirates, Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri.
The meeting took place during the III International Forum of Education Ministers “Shaping the Future,” held in Kazan.
“I’m pleased to welcome you and your colleagues to our republic,” said Rustam Minnikhanov. “You are an honored guest of this forum. Russia and the United Arab Emirates are steadily expanding their economic, scientific, and cultural-humanitarian ties. Tatarstan actively contributes to strengthening Russia-UAE relations. It was a great honor for us to welcome the President of your country at the BRICS summit in October 2024. We always feel his support in developing our cooperation and joint projects.”
Minnikhanov noted that visits by Tatarstan delegations to the UAE have become a tradition. He emphasized that Tatarstan regularly participates in the UAE Investment Forum and the international defense exhibition IDEX.
He also thanked the UAE side for establishing direct flights between Kazan and cities in the Emirates.
Delegations from the UAE take part annually in the KazanForum international economic forum.
“We place great importance on cooperation through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. By order of President Vladimir Putin, I lead the Group of Strategic Vision ‘Russia – Islamic World,’” Minnikhanov said.
He added that in 2026, Kazan will become the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. “This is a landmark event for us,” he emphasized.
Minnikhanov went on to say that Russia has four pilot regions where Islamic banking is being implemented. In addition to Islamic finance, these regions are developing halal tourism, halal food products, and promoting a broader halal lifestyle.
“In our republic, we pay great attention to the education system—from preschools and general education to supplementary and religious education. In recent years, we have built a four-tier Islamic education system,” he explained. Minnikhanov also mentioned with appreciation the operation of the “Bala-City” school in Dubai.
“I am confident we could cooperate in areas such as student exchanges and studying the UAE’s experience in education,” he concluded, thanking Minister Al Amiri for making time in her busy schedule to attend the forum in Kazan.
“Russia is our strategic partner,” said Minister Sarah Al Amiri in response. “We already enjoy partnerships in many fields, including in the Islamic sphere. Our representatives regularly attend events here. In May, at the KazanForum, we also discussed possible areas of cooperation. Education is a key sector for us. We are very interested in exchanging experiences—it is one of our top priorities and holds great potential.”
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Rais RT
Based on materials from the Press Service of the Rais RT