2013 SU Update: Students meet with Prime Minister of Tatarstan

Meeting the PM of Tatarstan

KAZAN – Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov and Chairman of the Rector Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilshat Gafurov met with Tatarstan’s student leaders on December 15. One of the key topics of the government-student dialogue was the preparation for the 27th Summer Universiade inKazan.

The meeting which was held in parallel with the ceremony of signing a trilateral cooperation agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rector Council of the Republic of Tatarstan and Tatarstan’s Student League, took place in the main conference hall of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University and saw the attendance of Tatarstan’s Cabinet members (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Informatisation and Communications of the Republic of Tatarstan Nikolay Nikiforov, Head of the Republican Press and Mass Communications Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan Marat Muratov), rectorial staff members, including Chairman of the Coordination Council of Pro-Rectors for Education Work under the Rectors Council of Tatarstan and Chief of Staff of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate Larisa Sulima, as well as student activists of Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Yelabuga, Zelenodolsk, Chistopol.

President of the Tatarstan Student League Timur Suleimanov delivered a report on the league’s activity where he presented to the members of the government and Rector Council a number of socially significant projects jointly implemented in 2011. He specifically mentioned the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate as one of its key partners in the preceding year. Together with the Universiade Directorate, the league carried out such projects as the Week of Student Self-Governance, Towards the Universiade specialized session in the Crimea, Polyglot contests, League in Focus Photo Contest, Republican Student Spring Festival, Student of the Year Awards and so on.

The FISU Flag Relay held under the motto ‘Universiade in Your City!’ was recognized as the most large-scale and significant event implemented in partnership with the Tatarstan Student League. Timur Suleimanov admitted that it had become a powerful stimulus for development of partnership relations with student leaders throughout Russia. «Having gained partners during the FISU Flag Relay, at present we are getting ready to host the Volga Federal District Student Congress and of course we are also involved in training volunteers for the Summer Universiade», stated Timur Suleimanov.

The leader of Tatarstan’s students also underlined the importance of the Tatarstan Student League’s partnership with the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism which provides venues for hosting a great number of sporting events among Tatarstan’s student self-government bodies. His words were seconded by Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov who also stressed that each student in Europe or theUnited Statesdoes sports and acts as an active fan of local teams. «After Tatarstan’s student inherit an excellent sports infrastructure when the 2013 Summer Universiade ends, they ought to use it wisely, make sports venues full of life, stay healthy and achieve success in sports. We already witness and appreciate how actively you are involved in the daily, hourly preparation for the Universiade. It’s great that you enjoy what you do. Although, you may need to be more ambitious, both in scope and depth», Ildar Khalikov said.

The meeting ended with the trilateral cooperation agreement being signed between the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rector Council of the Republic of Tatarstan and Tatarstan’s Student League. The sealed document is to become a basis for further gradual development of social support and legal protection of students in the spheres of university sports and creative work, science and media, employment and university business activities, etc.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate – Images: Press Office of Republic of Tatarstan Government)

PM of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov (l)

Questions for the PM