24 years of cooperation between Tatarstan and Canada
Initial contacts between the Republic of Tatarstan and Canada have been established in 1992 when the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev, made a working visit to the country. Shortly before that, namely on December 25, 1991, official interstate relations between Russian Federation and Canada were established. During the course of the trip the first President of Tatarstan received personal message from the Prime-Minister of Canada, welcoming the visit of the delegation of the republic and the desire to further the trade-economic partnership between Canada and Tatarstan. In Toronto the meetings and negotiations with chief executive officers of some of the Canadian companies were held, the questions of cooperation in the sphere of personnel training and scientific development discussed, agreements on long-term supply of Canadian grain in the republic achieved. The first President of Tatarstan and members of the delegation spoke before representatives of the business sector of Canada. This visit launched the development of bilateral cooperation between Tatarstan and Canadian partners.
Further engagement with Canada included a large amount of economic agreements (on cooperation in the area of economy, science, technology, culture and so on), as well as industrial interaction. Tatarstan and Canada regularly make bilateral visits, for example, in 2011, the Canadian Ambassador to Russia Mr. John Sloan attended Kazan within the scope of his working visit to discuss issues of cooperation. In 2014, the official visit in Canada headed by the Prime Minister of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov was held, where a number of business meetings and negotiations took place.
Currently, the relationship between Russia and Canada are developing gradually. The political dialog is in active stage. Inter-Parliamentary cooperation has expanded rapidly. Certain steps have been made to bring our trade relations to a new level.
These days the delegation of Tatarstan headed by the President, Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov, with the participation of the Head of Tatarstan Investment Development Agency, Ms. Taliya Minullina, pays an official visit to Canada. From 25 to 27 September, 2016 the delegation of Tatarstan will visit such Canadian provinces as Quebec and Ontario as a part of a three-day working visit.
In the framework of the working visit, official events and business meetings, with the participation of the Minister of Economy, Science, Innovations and Information Technologies of the Province of Quebec, Mrs. Dominique Anglade, and also visits to leading aircraft manufacturing companies of the country, including Pratt&Whitney and Bombardier took place.
A number of official events took place in Toronto. Within Tatarstan-Canada business forum the most promising options of building bilateral trade-economic cooperation were considered. Collaboration in the sphere of medicine and education became the main topic of conversation during the meeting of Rustam Minnikhanov and the management of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Furthermore, in warm and friendly, almost family atmosphere the meeting with representatives of Tatar community in Canada was held.
On September 27, the delegation of Tatarstan visited office of Canada Eurasia and Russia Business Association, where the Head of Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Ms. Taliya Minullina presented investment potential of the Republic of Tatarstan.
«Russia and Canada have strong resemblance in climate, large territories, beautiful nature and intense love for hockey. We hope, our similarity and developing of agreements reached in Canada will lead Russian-Canadian interregional cooperation on the level of specific contracts» — the Head of Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Ms. Taliya Minullina commented.