The first meeting of the Organizing committee "Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum 2023" forum was held by Marat Khusnullin.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for preparation and implementation of the International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum" Marat Khusnullin held the first meeting on the topic of preparation of the event, which will be held on May 18-19, 2023. According to the Act of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, from year 2023 and on, the forum will be held at the federal level. The meeting was attended by the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Adviser to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov and members of the Organizing committee.

"Today the strengthening of multilateral relations plays a key role in the socio-economic development of our country. Russia continues to promote dialogue with Muslim countries and strengthen our economic and diplomatic ties. It is safe to say that these ties come new opportunities. We see the support from Islamic states, their deep understanding of our position and openness to constructive cooperation", stated Marat Khusnullin and added that KazanForum is a unique and needed platform, aimed to keep and strengthen the foundation of the Russian-Islamic dialogue - representatives from more than 60 countries took an active part in the previous year’s forum. "The basis for a qualitative growth has already been created: for the last three years, trade turnover between Russia and the states of the organization of Islamic Cooperation has increased by 26,6%", - he said.

Marat Khusnullin emphasized that the Republic of Tatarstan has become the flagship in the cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world, and has expressed gratitude to Rustam Minnikhanov and his team for the quality of organization of KazanForum for many years and expressed confidence that during this time a huge experience has been accumulated, which will allow holding all future events at a high level.

"The development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world is one of the priorities defined by the leadership of our country. The main platform for economic interaction today is KazanForum. We consider this forum as an important part of the excellent work that is carried out by the strategic vision group of "Russia - Islamic World", headed by me on behalf of the President of Russian Federation. We are working hard to develop a business programme for the upcoming forum. I am convinced that with joint efforts the upcoming KazanForum will be organized at a high level", - said the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee of KazanForum Rustam Minnikhanov.
Marat Khusnullin has noted that a number of organizational instructions were given at the 2022 establishment meeting, the implementation of which is the subject of the current agenda. Particular attention was also paid to the draft business program of the forum, which should contribute to the development of a constructive dialogue to achieve the main objectives of the event: development of economic, trade, social and cultural relations with Islamic countries.

"Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin emphasizes the importance of developing multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the Islamic world. It is enshrined in the foreign policy concept as one of its priorities. Against this background, the emphasis on consolidation of representatives of Muslim countries to discuss the prospects for economic cooperation, along with ethno-cultural and religious component of the forum in Kazan requires a thorough substantive study, a balanced and well-considered formation of ideological foundations of the event of a federal scale", - said Anton Kobyakov, Presidential Advisor, Executive Secretary of KazanForum Organizing Committee.