‘You will bring our countries closer together’

“I hope it will be interesting for you to come back”

Addressing the delegates, the head of Tatarstan said that in the current conditions of Russia, it is especially important to maintain contacts with friendly states. Minnikhanov stressed that friendship of peoples for the republic is not just words: 175 nationalities live peacefully here.

“Young people should communicate. Such forum is a great opportunity for both the youth of our country and for you to find new friends and partners," he said. “You will bring our countries closer together. In your person, we have contacts with your country.

The rais noted that Tatarstan is one of the most industrially developed regions of Russia and expressed hope that the guests would find good partners there. Minnikhanov also presented the youth policy that is being implemented in the region: he spoke about opportunities for educational and sports development, existing public spaces and youth clubs.

“If a person returns again, it means that they found something on this land. I really hope that it will be interesting for you to return," the Tatarstan leader summed up.

Cooperation with Serbia, youth programme at BRICS Summit

After that, the head of the republic answered the delegates' questions. For example, a student from Serbia recalled that Minnikhanov recently met with the head of his country and asked in which directions Tatarstan plans to cooperate with them. The head of the republic replied that it is important to strengthen trade and industrial ties, as well as share best practices in the field of IT and develop tourism.

The delegate from Brazil spoke about the importance of developing youth diplomacy at the upcoming BRICS summit. Minnikhanov approved the idea: “It is necessary to plan a series of youth events today. We need to prepare and involve our foreign colleagues.”

The representative of Argentina wanted to know how the situation with youth employment is in Tatarstan. “In the foreground — ensuring a comfortable life in the republic so that talented young people do not leave," the rais replied. He also spoke about the importance of a training system in which universities have industrial partners.

The delegates were also interested in what qualities, in the opinion of the Tatarstan leader, are needed to achieve success in life. He named professional skills, the ability to set ambitious goals and continuous training and development.

“I'm always drawn to Russia”

The correspondent of Realnoe Vremya asked the delegates what impressions they had after a few days in Kazan. “I really like it here," replied 22-year-old Shahrazet from Algeria.

“This is a historical city, a rich civilisation. I have been in the Kremlin, walking around the city. Universities are big and beautiful," she shared.

By the way, the girl became one of the international experts in the Russian elections. She and seven other delegates of the festival, including Tarique from Bangladesh, who was previously interviewed by Realnoe Vremya, visited polling stations in Kazan and Arsky district, as well as a public monitoring center.

Shahrazet speaks Russian fluently because she studies it at the University of Algiers. This is her first, but certainly not her last trip to Russia: she plans to become a translator.

Zhou, 25, from China, was also pleased with the regional programme:

“The city is very beautiful. When we arrived, we were told about the history and culture of Tatarstan. I am grateful that we were introduced to them, and I am happy to participate in the regional programme. Yesterday, we were at KazanExpress. If I travelled alone, I would not be able to immerse myself deeply in the economy of the region.”

The girl thanked the volunteers who accompany the delegates:

“Our volunteers are young, but just wonderful, they always come to the rescue and explain everything. Thank you very much!”

Zhou shared that before the World Youth Festival, she told her mother that she would like to go to Russia. In her scientific work, the girl touches on the topic of interaction between Russia and China.

“In the future, I would like to participate in conferences on cooperation between our countries, because we work closely in different fields. I hope this partnership will strengthen," she said.

But Lyubo from Bulgaria came to Russia for the ninth time. However, it was also his first time in Kazan.

“It's a huge city. Yesterday, I tried to get to the right place by myself, it turned out that it took a long time to drive. The views that open up here are just a fairy tale. We went to the Kremlin, the Ak Bars Arena, and attended a concert at the Volga State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism. I took a little walk around Baumana Street. There is not enough time for everything, you need to extend it for a week or two," he said with a smile.

The list of cities visited by Lyubo is impressive: Omsk, Tula, Ryazan, Orenburg, St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novogorod, Pskov and even Vladivostok. He most often visited Russia, taking part in additional professional education programmes. “I'm always drawn here, I don't want to visit other countries," Lyubo explained.

The Bulgarian learned that the World Youth Festival will be held in Sochi this year when he was in Nizhny Novgorod last summer. He immediately decided to apply: already took part in it in 2017, and he really liked it. By the way, he learned the Russian language on his own. “Bulgarian is a bit like Russian. If a person has a desire to learn, everything will work out," he assured.

But the delegate from Sweden said that he was afraid to talk to journalists: he might suffer if they found out about his trip to Russia at home. But he liked it at the festival. Now the young man is thinking about entering a Kazan university.