Rustam Minnikhanov: “The Uzbek people and Tatar people are a separate and very long history”

Chernoyarovskiy Passazh lost its tenant

The opening of the diplomatic mission of Uzbekistan in Kazan has been discussed since November 2018. On October 30, the Uzbekistani Foreign Ministry officially appointed Fariddin Nasriyev to the post of Consul General of the Republic in Kazan, and he began to draw up the documentation and the necessary organizational tasks. As it became known to Realnoe Vremya, the Consulate was seriously considering Chernoyarovskiy Passazh as the location of its residence — the newly renovated Art Nouveau building built in 1901, located on Kremlyovskaya Street. According to the owner of the building, businessman Kamil Shaydarov from Kazan, the diplomatic mission was to occupy an area of about 300 square metres, and the “deal»” itself was at the stage of coordination in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, but the lease was never concluded. The cotton country chose a site in Suvar Plaza under its headquarters.

“The opening of any consulates on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan is the prerogative of the ministry of foreign affairs. Our side in this issue is reduced exclusively to the issues of economic and household activities: we offer different options for premises that could be considered, and then they are considered by the Consulate General. In any case, it is always a matter of consensus, the parties come to an agreement. It all depends on the size of the premises, perhaps the financial costs of the consulate representatives,” said Lilia Galimova, the official representative of the Kazan Kremlin.

She also stressed that, according to the regulations, the Consulate General immediately offered several options of premises with different parameters of quadrature, price and location. “I'm not ready to say what other options have been proposed, but as a rule, there are always several options that could fit the requirements,” she concluded.

Suvar Plaza is the centre of concentration of foreign diplomatic missions: the premises of the prestigious complex once housed the Consulate of one of the key strategic partners of Tatarstan — China (before moving to the former ancestral estate of the Khairullin brothers on Podluzhnaya Street last August). The Consulates of Hungary and Iran continue to work in Suvar Plaza.

Assistance to tourists, migrants and students from 14 regions of the Volga Federal District

The Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Kazan will provide consular and legal assistance to compatriots living in all 14 regions of the Volga Federal District, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Russia Botirzhon Asadov, who specially arrived in Kazan. The opening of the Consulate will not only provide access to legal assistance to thousands of migrants but will also free the National and Cultural Autonomy of the Uzbeks of the Republic of Tatarstan from some unusual duties. According to the Chairman of the NCA Abdumanob Abdusattarov, prior to the opening of the Consulate, the public organization, in fact, took over its functions, dealing with all the problems of compatriots and helping them in the preparation of documents.

“The opening of the Consulate General is aimed at improving the quality of consular services provided to our citizens who stay, live, study in Tatarstan and nearby regions,” said Botirzhon Asadov. “I very much hope that with the opening of the Consulate General, we will significantly intensify interregional cooperation, which is now being emphasized by the leaders of our countries.”

“I must say, we have excellent contact with the Tatars who are citizens of Uzbekistan. I was sent a telegram that more than 50,000 people visited Sabantuy in Tashkent,” Rustam Minnikhanov shared during the ceremony. “If there was no support from the leadership of the country, the regions, it would be impossible... I want that we laid today, served for the benefit of our countries, our republic and our people. The Uzbek people and the Tatar people are a separate and very long history. I must say that in recent years Uzbekistan has been making serious steps — opening and implementing major projects. We want to wish the Uzbek people, its leadership, that all conceived was realized.”

The relations between Kazan and Tashkent noticeably revived in September 2017, when Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov met with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, personally visiting the Central Asian state. According to the official representative of the Kazan Kremlin, Lilia Galimova, the foreign trade turnover between the republics at the end of last year alone amounted to $146 million, showing an increase of more than 50 per cent. “However, these figures, according to Rustam Nurgalievich, are not the limit,” Galimova said at a meeting with journalists in the Tatarstan Cabinet of Ministers the day before.

The government of Tatarstan has already announced a road map to increase trade turnover: according to Galimova, Uzbekistan is considering the project of Tatneft on tire production in its country as one of the flagships in building relations with Tatarstan. In addition to the participation of Tatneft in the management of the local tire plant, the use of Tatneft technologies in the development of deposits in Uzbekistan may become a promising direction. Another step forward may be an increase in the number of direct flights from Kazan to Uzbekistan, announced by the representative of the Kazan Kremlin.