KazanForum 2025 Outcomes: 200 Events and 130 Agreements
KazanForum 2025 Outcomes: 200 Events and 130 Agreements
20 May
The XVI International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” 2025 has once again confirmed its status as the largest interaction platform between Russia and the countries of the Islamic world.
“We can see that the Forum is extremely popular and important for both our country and the countries of the Islamic world. KazanForum is gaining more and more momentum with every passing year,’’ says Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the International Economic Forum ‘‘Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”.
In 2025, representatives of 96 countries and 82 Russian regions took part in the Forum events, while 8.5 thousand guests of the Forum engaged in the Business Programme.
“The number of business contacts between Russia and the Islamic world is growing year after year, and the number of international investment projects is increasing as well. Furthermore, every year, the number of participants and delegates grows on the Forum sidelines, which once again confirms the importance of building an international dialogue between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Islamic world. The foreign business community has taken an active part in the work of this discussion platform, and the Kazan Forum has firmly established its name as an essential international business event for the benefit of economic co-operation between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Islamic world,” says Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the Organising Committee of the International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”.
KazanForum included a meeting of Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, with Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign countries. “It pleases me to see that KazanForum brings together friends from all over the world, creates favourable conditions for forging new contacts, and opens doors for tangible co-operation projects,” Rustam Minnikhanov said at the meeting.
The Head of the Republic of Tatarstan also noted the wide coverage of KazanForum topics: from economic and diplomatic to cultural and sports. This year’s Forum
Programme embraced more than 200 events, among them 148 business sessions featuring 990 speakers.
The key topics of 2025 were digitalisation of co-operation between Russia and the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); international co-operation; real estate exhibition and conference; sports; halal industry; Islamic finance and investment; tourism; culture; female perspective; business; economy; human resources of today and tomorrow; science and technology; media activities.
Following that, a meeting of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World” was held as part of KazanForum, too. It was dedicated to youth policy and cooperation in the arts and humanities, and took place in the Bashir Rameev IT Park. The Meeting was chaired by Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World”. “The Group plays a key part in strengthening friendly relations between Russia and Islamic countries. Our co-operation covers a wide range of areas, beginning with economy and ending with culture. Most importantly, it remains stable, predictable, and mutually beneficial. The Group has an especially crucial role in that it informs the world of Russia’s committed position: our country has always stood for the unity of peoples, mutual respect, and peaceful development,” says Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
In addition to the meetings of the Forum and the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic world”, the following events were also held as part of KazanForum 2025: plenary sessions of the AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions); the Islam and Built Environment International Symposium (IBEIS 2025); the International Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry; the XI Kazan OIC Young Forum; the meeting of the International North-South Transport Corridor; as well as the Congress of Ministers of Culture from the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Plenary Session of which was attended by Ministers of Culture and representatives of the Ministries of Culture from 12 countries, the Director General of the Department of Public Arts of Iraq, the Head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Iran, representatives from 5 states which Embassies are located in the Russian Federation, as well as the Director of the OIC Department of Culture, the Director General of ISESCO, and the Representative of the Arab League in the Russian Federation.
The Forum hosted 10 meetings between representatives of Russia and foreign countries in various formats: from pitch sessions to business forums. In particular,
international co-operation events were held between Russia – UAE, Russia – MENA, Russia – Afghanistan, Russia – Turkey, Russia – Malaysia, Russia – Iran, Russia – Tajikistan, Russia – Kazakhstan, and Russia – Qatar.
The Forum became a record-breaking event: 130 agreements and memorandums were concluded during the Forum, including 75 international agreements and 56 from the Republic of Tatarstan.
The International Exhibition “Russia Halal Expo” was organised as part of the Forum for the 8th time. This is Russia’s largest exhibition of economic, scientific, and technological co-operation between the regions of the Russian Federation and OIC countries. The Exhibition featured 54 booths from 12 countries.
Within this year’s KazanForum, the Exhibition “International Property Market” was held for the 2nd time: it is a unique platform designed to strengthen international relations and interaction with investors from different countries. The exposition part of IPM 2025 took place on an area of more than 1,000 sq. m. The Exhibition was attended by 57 companies, including 29 property developers and builders, featuring booths from the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
The International Halal Industry Fair “Kazan Halal Market”, which took place at the Kazan Agro-Industrial Park, was attended by 38,000 visitors, presenting booths of 150 companies from 9 countries and 16 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
KazanForum 2025 also hosted the IX OIC Young Diplomats Forum, a key platform for promoting dialogue between the young diplomatic community within Russia and the Islamic world. This year, 50 young diplomats from 18 countries, including Oman, Bahrain, Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran, came to Kazan. The main theme of the Event was “Diplomacy of Victory”, dedicated to the role of diplomacy in achieving victory in World War II, the creation of the United Nations as a key instrument for maintaining international peace and security, and the establishment of a multipolar world order. Eight designers from Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, UAE, Oman, Russia, and Tajikistan took part in the Fashion Show “Modest Fashion Day”, held at one of the Forum venues in Korston Club Hotel. The Show featured collections inspired by national traditions and values of sustainable fashion.
Talented professionals from 16 countries and 3 continents took part in the Yunus Akhmetzyanov International Tournament of Young Chefs of Islamic
Countries, with a team from Saudi Arabia represented for the first time. Mayssa El Kouni, representative from Tunisia, took the Tournament Grand Prix. The Forum guests could sample the food sets made by the contest participants and the jury.
The “Female Perspective” Programme brought together 51 speakers from 18 countries and became a platform for promoting dialogue on the role of women in business, culture, and Islamic society. The results of the competition were summarised and international awards Halal Business Woman and Halal Charity Woman were presented to women entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Ten teams from 8 countries took part in the Cup of the East Football Youth Tournament, which took place on the territory of Molodaya Gvardiya Sports and Recreation Camp as part of KazanForum. Rustam Minnikhanov, the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, presented the Cup to the Rubin team from Kazan, who won the Youth Tournament. The KazanForum Programme also included a friendly match that brought together young diplomats and representatives of foreign policy departments from 10 countries, along with the stars of Rubin Football Club and representatives of the Tatarstan authorities.
KazanForum 2025 became a key platform for the development of the halal industry in Russia. Three international accreditation certificates (JAKIM, SMIIC, GSO) were awarded at the Forum, while the first meeting of the All-Russian Halal Industry Association was held and memoranda on the recognition of halal certificates were signed with Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan. As part of the Forum, the XV All-Russian Forum of Tatar Religious Figures “National Identity and Religion” was opened in Kazan Agro-Industrial Park. The Forum traditionally united more than 1,000 imams, Islamic scholars, representatives of clergy, and public figures from 74 regions of the Russian Federation. On the final day of the Forum, delegates travelled to the ancient city of Bolgar, where they took part in the solemn event “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni”, which celebrated the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria and brought together about 25,000 people from Russia and abroad. “For the Russian Federation, being a state that unites many peoples and people of different faiths, partnership with the Islamic world has been and remains one of the most important areas of foreign policy. Russia and the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation actively co-operate on the basis of balanced approaches to a number of global problems; moreover, they are involved in the formation of a new world order, showing the possibility of a conflict-free dialogue of civilizations by their example,” says Rustam Minnikhanov. KazanForum 2025 once again proved that co-operation between Russia and the Islamic world is based on the principles of respect, pragmatism, and trust, becoming the most important international platform uniting the efforts of states, business, science, and society on the way to a sustainable future.
“We can see that the Forum is extremely popular and important for both our country and the countries of the Islamic world. KazanForum is gaining more and more momentum with every passing year,’’ says Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the International Economic Forum ‘‘Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”.
In 2025, representatives of 96 countries and 82 Russian regions took part in the Forum events, while 8.5 thousand guests of the Forum engaged in the Business Programme.
“The number of business contacts between Russia and the Islamic world is growing year after year, and the number of international investment projects is increasing as well. Furthermore, every year, the number of participants and delegates grows on the Forum sidelines, which once again confirms the importance of building an international dialogue between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Islamic world. The foreign business community has taken an active part in the work of this discussion platform, and the Kazan Forum has firmly established its name as an essential international business event for the benefit of economic co-operation between the Russian Federation and the countries of the Islamic world,” says Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the Organising Committee of the International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”.
KazanForum included a meeting of Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, with Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign countries. “It pleases me to see that KazanForum brings together friends from all over the world, creates favourable conditions for forging new contacts, and opens doors for tangible co-operation projects,” Rustam Minnikhanov said at the meeting.
The Head of the Republic of Tatarstan also noted the wide coverage of KazanForum topics: from economic and diplomatic to cultural and sports. This year’s Forum
Programme embraced more than 200 events, among them 148 business sessions featuring 990 speakers.
The key topics of 2025 were digitalisation of co-operation between Russia and the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); international co-operation; real estate exhibition and conference; sports; halal industry; Islamic finance and investment; tourism; culture; female perspective; business; economy; human resources of today and tomorrow; science and technology; media activities.
Following that, a meeting of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World” was held as part of KazanForum, too. It was dedicated to youth policy and cooperation in the arts and humanities, and took place in the Bashir Rameev IT Park. The Meeting was chaired by Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic World”. “The Group plays a key part in strengthening friendly relations between Russia and Islamic countries. Our co-operation covers a wide range of areas, beginning with economy and ending with culture. Most importantly, it remains stable, predictable, and mutually beneficial. The Group has an especially crucial role in that it informs the world of Russia’s committed position: our country has always stood for the unity of peoples, mutual respect, and peaceful development,” says Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
In addition to the meetings of the Forum and the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – Islamic world”, the following events were also held as part of KazanForum 2025: plenary sessions of the AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions); the Islam and Built Environment International Symposium (IBEIS 2025); the International Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry; the XI Kazan OIC Young Forum; the meeting of the International North-South Transport Corridor; as well as the Congress of Ministers of Culture from the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Plenary Session of which was attended by Ministers of Culture and representatives of the Ministries of Culture from 12 countries, the Director General of the Department of Public Arts of Iraq, the Head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Iran, representatives from 5 states which Embassies are located in the Russian Federation, as well as the Director of the OIC Department of Culture, the Director General of ISESCO, and the Representative of the Arab League in the Russian Federation.
The Forum hosted 10 meetings between representatives of Russia and foreign countries in various formats: from pitch sessions to business forums. In particular,
international co-operation events were held between Russia – UAE, Russia – MENA, Russia – Afghanistan, Russia – Turkey, Russia – Malaysia, Russia – Iran, Russia – Tajikistan, Russia – Kazakhstan, and Russia – Qatar.
The Forum became a record-breaking event: 130 agreements and memorandums were concluded during the Forum, including 75 international agreements and 56 from the Republic of Tatarstan.
The International Exhibition “Russia Halal Expo” was organised as part of the Forum for the 8th time. This is Russia’s largest exhibition of economic, scientific, and technological co-operation between the regions of the Russian Federation and OIC countries. The Exhibition featured 54 booths from 12 countries.
Within this year’s KazanForum, the Exhibition “International Property Market” was held for the 2nd time: it is a unique platform designed to strengthen international relations and interaction with investors from different countries. The exposition part of IPM 2025 took place on an area of more than 1,000 sq. m. The Exhibition was attended by 57 companies, including 29 property developers and builders, featuring booths from the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
The International Halal Industry Fair “Kazan Halal Market”, which took place at the Kazan Agro-Industrial Park, was attended by 38,000 visitors, presenting booths of 150 companies from 9 countries and 16 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
KazanForum 2025 also hosted the IX OIC Young Diplomats Forum, a key platform for promoting dialogue between the young diplomatic community within Russia and the Islamic world. This year, 50 young diplomats from 18 countries, including Oman, Bahrain, Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran, came to Kazan. The main theme of the Event was “Diplomacy of Victory”, dedicated to the role of diplomacy in achieving victory in World War II, the creation of the United Nations as a key instrument for maintaining international peace and security, and the establishment of a multipolar world order. Eight designers from Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, UAE, Oman, Russia, and Tajikistan took part in the Fashion Show “Modest Fashion Day”, held at one of the Forum venues in Korston Club Hotel. The Show featured collections inspired by national traditions and values of sustainable fashion.
Talented professionals from 16 countries and 3 continents took part in the Yunus Akhmetzyanov International Tournament of Young Chefs of Islamic
Countries, with a team from Saudi Arabia represented for the first time. Mayssa El Kouni, representative from Tunisia, took the Tournament Grand Prix. The Forum guests could sample the food sets made by the contest participants and the jury.
The “Female Perspective” Programme brought together 51 speakers from 18 countries and became a platform for promoting dialogue on the role of women in business, culture, and Islamic society. The results of the competition were summarised and international awards Halal Business Woman and Halal Charity Woman were presented to women entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Ten teams from 8 countries took part in the Cup of the East Football Youth Tournament, which took place on the territory of Molodaya Gvardiya Sports and Recreation Camp as part of KazanForum. Rustam Minnikhanov, the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, presented the Cup to the Rubin team from Kazan, who won the Youth Tournament. The KazanForum Programme also included a friendly match that brought together young diplomats and representatives of foreign policy departments from 10 countries, along with the stars of Rubin Football Club and representatives of the Tatarstan authorities.
KazanForum 2025 became a key platform for the development of the halal industry in Russia. Three international accreditation certificates (JAKIM, SMIIC, GSO) were awarded at the Forum, while the first meeting of the All-Russian Halal Industry Association was held and memoranda on the recognition of halal certificates were signed with Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan. As part of the Forum, the XV All-Russian Forum of Tatar Religious Figures “National Identity and Religion” was opened in Kazan Agro-Industrial Park. The Forum traditionally united more than 1,000 imams, Islamic scholars, representatives of clergy, and public figures from 74 regions of the Russian Federation. On the final day of the Forum, delegates travelled to the ancient city of Bolgar, where they took part in the solemn event “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni”, which celebrated the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria and brought together about 25,000 people from Russia and abroad. “For the Russian Federation, being a state that unites many peoples and people of different faiths, partnership with the Islamic world has been and remains one of the most important areas of foreign policy. Russia and the countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation actively co-operate on the basis of balanced approaches to a number of global problems; moreover, they are involved in the formation of a new world order, showing the possibility of a conflict-free dialogue of civilizations by their example,” says Rustam Minnikhanov. KazanForum 2025 once again proved that co-operation between Russia and the Islamic world is based on the principles of respect, pragmatism, and trust, becoming the most important international platform uniting the efforts of states, business, science, and society on the way to a sustainable future.
