The Republic of Tatarstan and The World Bank Advance Frontiers of Their Cooperation: Country Director Klaus Rohland Meets with President Mintimer Shaimiev and Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov

Mintimer Shaimiev and Klaus Rohland signed the Memorandum of Strategic Partnership

President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev Met With The World Bank Country Director and Resident Representative in Russia Klaus Rohland

Kazan, July 21, 2009 - Today, in Kazan Kremlin Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev met with the World Bank Country Director for Russia Klaus Rohland.

In the meeting were participating Prime-Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, State Advisor to the RT President for foreign issues - Director of the Department of foreign affairs Timur Akoulov, State Advisor to the RT President on economic issues Evgeny Grishin, RT Minister of economy Marat Safioullin, Head of the Municipality of Kazan city, Mayor Ilsur Metshin, RT Minister of education and science Albert Gilmoutdinov, Chairman of the RT State Council Committee on budget, taxes and finances Murad Gadylshin.

After the meeting President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and the World Bank Country Director for Russia Klaus Rohland signed the Memorandum of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Tatarstan and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development until 2015.

Development Strategies of Republic’s Higher Educational Institutions Presented to Tatarstan Prime- Minister Rustam Minnikhanov and the World Bank County Director for Russia Klaus Roland

On the same day, in Kazan City Hall the rectors of Tatarstan higher education institutions presented strategies for developing further their higher schools. Each strategy had been developed with participation of the World Bank experts in view of the Republic’s education system development context.

Rustam Minnikhanov and Klaus Rohland, Kazan City Hall

Tatarstan Prime-Minister Rustam Minnikhanov, the World Bank Country Director for Russia Klaus Roland, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan Marat Safiullin, Minister of Education and Science Albert Gilmutdinov, Head of the Directorate of non-budgetary programs for Kazan development Vladimir Gritskikh participated in the event.

Opening the meeting Rustam Minnikhanov reminded that in the course of the last 10 years the Republic had been cooperating with the World Bank on implementation of various projects, including reforms in the communal infrastructure sector on the eve of Kazan anniversary, monitoring the level and quality of life of the population , to name a few.

Ilsur Metshin informed that due to cooperation with the World Bank the Republic managed to successfully implement a number of projects for the overall amount up to 5 billion Rubles. He praised experts of the World Bank for conducting joint work to prepare an overview analysis of the Republic’s higher education system, as well as complimented Tatarstan Government for its support.

Mayor of Kazan emphasized that Russian government had supported the idea of foundation of federal university in Kazan, and setting up a student campus as part the village for the upcoming “universiade”.

At the meeting the rectors of the Kazan State University, the Kazan State Technological University, the Kazan State Technical University, the Kazan State Agricultural University, Kazan State academy of architecture and building, Kazan Institute of Finance and Economics, the Kazan State Medical University, the Tatar State Pedagogical University of Humanities and other institutions presented strategies for their universities development.

Based on the reports of the Press Offices of the President and of the Government of Tatarstan