The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”, held in Kazan from May 13 to 18, attracted more than 10 thousand people from 103 countries. The event opened with a welcoming address by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to TASS, citing the head of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Taliya Minullina, the largest delegations represent Malaysia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, the UAE, Iran, Nigeria and Senegal. Compared to the previous year, the geography of participants has expanded significantly – in 2024, representatives of 87 countries attended the forum.
The rich program of KazanForum includes about 200 events of various formats. The central theme of the forum was “Digitalization: New Reality and Opportunities for Expanding Cooperation”, which will be the subject of the plenary session on May 16. The program also includes bilateral meetings in the format of round tables “Russia – Malaysia” and “Russia – Kazakhstan”, industrial dialogue “Russia – Iran”, meetings of the strategic vision group “Russia – Islamic world” and the Caspian international integration club “North – South”, as well as the congress of ministers of culture of the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
At the site of “Kazan Expo” 141 business conferences in various areas are planned. Within the framework of the forum, 99 cooperation agreements are expected to be signed.
A significant part of KazanForum will be specialized exhibitions: the international exhibition Russia Halal Expo, the trade fair Kazan Halal Market and the international exhibition and conference in the field of real estate International Property Market (IPM). For the first time in Russia, the international conference AAOIFI on Islamic finance and investment, traditionally previously held in Bahrain, will be held.
The forum’s rich cultural program includes a festival of Islamic cuisine, a competition for young chefs named after Yunus Akhmetzyanov, a festival of KFU’s oriental culture, a crafts fair, and the Modest Fashion Day fashion festival. Excursions to UNESCO sites are organized for guests, and the historic city of Bolgar will celebrate the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
On May 16, the forum will feature a friendly football match involving Russian football stars, FC Rubin players, and diplomats from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries.
