(KZN.RU,
June 30, Mikhail Chentsov). Another landscaped green area may appear in Kazan
with the support of the Iranian city of Tabriz. This idea was voiced in the
City Hall at the meeting of Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, and Sadegh
Najafi-Khazarlou, the Mayor of Tabriz. The head of Tabriz also suggested
holding the Days of Kazan in Iran and announced the opening of a park that symbolizes
good relations with the capital of Tatarstan, in his city next year. The
parties discussed the prospects for cooperation between twin-towns and the
exchange of experience in preserving the historical heritage at the meeting.
Opening the
meeting, I. Metshin noted that Iran and the Republic of Tatarstan are connected
by many years of friendly relations, which are based on effective interaction
on main issues in urban policy and constant development, based on experience
exchange. According to the head of the capital of the RT, in many ways, this is
facilitated by the fact that Tabriz and Kazan are twin-towns since 2009. “Over
the years, we have become not only partners but also good friends. We were able
to achieve considerable success in the implementation of various joint projects
thanks to the opening of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran
in Kazan, which was 10 years ago. We can mark car industry, food, light, and
pharmaceutical industries among the most promising spheres of our mutual
cooperation”, said I. Metshin.
The Mayor
of Kazan also noted that Tabriz is one of the most ancient and beautiful cities
in the world and a treasury of magnificent historical monuments. “Millennial
Kazan, in its turn, is one of the oldest cities in Russia. And today, both our
cities have monuments that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. We
are glad that we can adopt your experience in preserving the historical
heritage”, the Mayor shared his impressions.
I. Metshin
also expressed regret that the Iranian delegation could not come to Kazan
earlier to attend the Confederations Cup. “Kazan has great experience in
holding international events and is ready to share it. I know that the Iranian
team is a participant of the final part of the World Cup-2018, which will be
held in 9 Russian cities. We would be very happy to receive your team and
observe their excellent performance if the drawing will be any luck for us”,
said the head of the capital of the RT.
Sadegh
Najafi-Khazarlou, the Mayor of Tabriz, congratulated Kazan on the opportunity
to hold such a prestigious tournament as the Confederations Cup. “I visited
many cultural and sports facilities on my last visit to Kazan and saw the
city's readiness for the World Cup. We hope that our team will come here, so
will we as spectators”, he said.
Sadegh
Najafi also noted that Tabriz was chosen as the сapital of tourism of the Islamic world for
2018. Such an honorary title is awarded by the member countries of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation. For example, the capital of Islamic
tourism this year is Medina in Saudi Arabia. Sadegh Najafi suggested Ilsur
Metshin to hold Days of Kazan next year in Tabriz, which will host guests from
all over the world. “We expect that many things will be connected with Russia
and, in particular, with Kazan this year. We are planning to open a park in
Tabriz, which will be an excellent symbol of cooperation with Kazan and will
indicate close bonds between our cities”, said Sadegh Najafi and invited Ilsur
Metshin to visit Iran.
In
addition, the Mayor of Tabriz proposed to begin negotiations on the opening of
direct flights between the Iranian city and Kazan. According to the Mayor of
Kazan, this will contribute to the development of mutual relations, including
the establishment of more business contacts.
The
protocol of intention, according to which the Iranian side will landscape one
of the green areas in Kazan, was signed during the meeting in the City Hall.
Evgenia
Lodvigova, the first deputy head of the Kazan Municipality, Damir Fattakhov,
the first deputy head of the Kazan Executive Committee, Igor Kulyazhev, the
deputy head of the Executive Committee and the chairman of the Committee for
External Improvement, Sergey Mironov, the head of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky
districts’ administration, also participated in the meeting.
Sadegh
Najafi-Khazarlou, the Mayor of Tabriz, was accompanied by Ali Beman Egbali
Zarch, the acting consul of the General Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran in
Kazan, Yagub Khushari, the head of the 5th district of Tabriz, Rageb Babai, the
head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Islamic Republic of Iran in Tabriz, and others.