Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov met with Sheikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). The meeting took place as part of the events marking the opening of AAOIFI representative center in Kazan.
The day before, Minnikhanov and Sheikh Ibrahim participated in a meeting with Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina on the implementation of Russia’s pilot project in partnership financing.
Minnikhanov described the opening of the AAOIFI center in Kazan as a milestone event, calling it a strategic hub designed to advance Islamic finance standards not only within Russia but across the entire CIS region. He emphasized that the center will play a key role in integrating Islamic financial tools into national economies and fostering cooperation with expert communities across the Commonwealth.
“The center is an instrument for developing international investment cooperation and promoting the investment potential of Russian regions. It is important for us to establish a sustainable and trusting dialogue with investors from the Islamic world. The AAOIFI official representation will ensure the introduction of unified, internationally recognized Islamic finance standards,” Minnikhanov said.
He added that collaboration with AAOIFI has grown steadily in recent years, with the organization being a regular participant in the KazanForum. This year, for the first time, the forum hosted an off-site international conference on partnership financing.
Minnikhanov also conveyed his greetings and respect to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, noting that the monarch is “a great friend” of Tatarstan and expressing confidence that the ties between Tatarstan and Bahrain will continue to strengthen.
In response, Sheikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa passed on the Bahraini King’s warm greetings and reaffirmed His Majesty’s appreciation of relations with the President of Russia. He thanked Tatarstan’s leadership for supporting the establishment of the AAOIFI center and expressed confidence that it would further enhance the development of partnership finance in the region.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Egor Aleev/TASS
Based on materials from the Press Service of the Rais RT