Kazan to Become Twin City with Iran’s Shiraz and Turkey’s Gaziantep
Kazan to Become Twin City with Iran’s Shiraz and Turkey’s Gaziantep
13 May
Kazan is preparing to sign twin-city agreements with Shiraz (Iran) and Gaziantep (Turkey). This was announced to journalists by Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of the capital of Tatarstan, on the sidelines of the 17th International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”. The agreements are expected to be signed soon, particularly with Shiraz – which the Mayor described as one of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Iran – once the geopolitical situation allows.
“We place great importance on international engagement with our twin cities, not only in the Islamic world. This is very important to me as Mayor. New practices allow us to see the very best: the regulatory frameworks and the experience of our colleagues that can be applied to our multicultural city, with its geographical and other unique characteristics found in Kazan. We greedily collect these practices,” said Ilsur Metshin.
Pavel Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), noted that twin-city ties are one of the key tools in the Russian Federation’s work with foreign states. The role of the regions is crucial.
“By developing twin-city ties, we develop relations between cities, cultures, traditions and, most importantly, ongoing projects. During the round table “Humanitarian Presence in the Islamic World – New Tools”, we discussed that there are projects taking shape in Kazan in terms of religious culture, education and language programmes, all of which are very important. Similar projects exist abroad. Our task is to bring them together, to work on them jointly, because it is the energy of people and communities that unites and makes constructive co‑operation between states possible. The regional dimension is extremely important across all areas,” said Pavel Shevtsov.
The Mayor of Kazan noted that the twin-city agreements with Shiraz and Gaziantep are currently the most advanced. Overall, the capital of Tatarstan intends to continue expanding its twin-city ties by developing people’s diplomacy.
The Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo noted that partner Russian Houses are an effective tool for strengthening ties between cities. "We are expanding the network of active people abroad – our compatriots and others interested in developing relations between the Russian Federation and other states. For example, today at KazanForum representatives of two Russian Houses – from Baghdad and Oman (with which relations are currently being built at the state level) – took the floor. The interest shown by foreign audiences is exactly what we are developing through partner Russian Houses. This is one of the new tools for developing twin-city ties," reported Pavel Shevtsov.
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The International Economic Forum ‘Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum’ is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: the International Exhibition of Cooperation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Изге Болгар җыены” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
“We place great importance on international engagement with our twin cities, not only in the Islamic world. This is very important to me as Mayor. New practices allow us to see the very best: the regulatory frameworks and the experience of our colleagues that can be applied to our multicultural city, with its geographical and other unique characteristics found in Kazan. We greedily collect these practices,” said Ilsur Metshin.
Pavel Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), noted that twin-city ties are one of the key tools in the Russian Federation’s work with foreign states. The role of the regions is crucial.
“By developing twin-city ties, we develop relations between cities, cultures, traditions and, most importantly, ongoing projects. During the round table “Humanitarian Presence in the Islamic World – New Tools”, we discussed that there are projects taking shape in Kazan in terms of religious culture, education and language programmes, all of which are very important. Similar projects exist abroad. Our task is to bring them together, to work on them jointly, because it is the energy of people and communities that unites and makes constructive co‑operation between states possible. The regional dimension is extremely important across all areas,” said Pavel Shevtsov.
The Mayor of Kazan noted that the twin-city agreements with Shiraz and Gaziantep are currently the most advanced. Overall, the capital of Tatarstan intends to continue expanding its twin-city ties by developing people’s diplomacy.
The Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo noted that partner Russian Houses are an effective tool for strengthening ties between cities. "We are expanding the network of active people abroad – our compatriots and others interested in developing relations between the Russian Federation and other states. For example, today at KazanForum representatives of two Russian Houses – from Baghdad and Oman (with which relations are currently being built at the state level) – took the floor. The interest shown by foreign audiences is exactly what we are developing through partner Russian Houses. This is one of the new tools for developing twin-city ties," reported Pavel Shevtsov.
*****
The International Economic Forum ‘Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum’ is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: the International Exhibition of Cooperation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Изге Болгар җыены” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
