ONCE again, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia welcomed guests from many countries, confirming its status as a much sought-after venue for large-scale and business events.
The International Economic Forum of Russia and other countries that include members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have created an international platform — KazanForum — for cooperation and the implementation of joint projects.
The purpose of the forum is to strengthen ties in trade, science and culture between Russia and Muslim countries, including Malaysia.
Delegates from 80 countries attended the XIV Forum from May 18-20. There were 16,223 participants, including 706 media representatives, and 950 speakers.
KazanForum hosted six bilateral conferences: Russia-Turkey, Russia-Egypt, Russia-Azerbaijan, Russia-Uzbekistan, Russia-Malaysia and Russia-Iran.
A total of 130 agreements and memorandums were concluded.
A key topic was the construction of a North-South international transport corridor, since Muslim countries are also interested in the export of Russian agricultural and halal products.
According to the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the holding of the forum in Kazan once again showed Russia's readiness to build mutually beneficial relationships with countries of the Islamic world.
"KazanForum is the place where our country gets closer to the Islamic world. Today, we have taken another step towards each other," Minnikhanov said.
The highlight of the forum was a fashion show organised by designers from Indonesia, Senegal, Russia and Kazakhstan. Forum guests were also attracted to competitions involving chefs from 14 countries.
Russian businessman Mikhail Kuritsyn told the writer that Malaysia was very solidly represented at the forum.
"Both ministers and other participants made important statements about their intention to develop economic relations with Russia," he said.
The Malaysian representatives were from various fields.
They included Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu; Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin; deputy director-general of the Department of Islamic Development, Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee; member of parliament Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal; deputy secretary-general of the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Datuk Badrul Hisham Mohd; Melewar Industrial Group Bhd chief business development officer Mohd Silahuddin Jamaluddin; and Small and Medium Enterprises Association chairman Datuk William Ng.
Ng said in a speech that Malaysia's attractiveness as an investment destination is not just due to an open investment policy but also because of a commitment to a sustainable supply chain that is backed by more than 1.2 million small and medium enterprises.
He called for more technology transfers from Russia, specifically in aerospace, smart farming and advanced materials.
The writer is a former Universiti Malaya lecturer. He is writing from Russia.
