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Arkadag (Turkmenistan)Expand CollapseOn May 16, 2024, the delegation of Turkmenistan arrived in Kazan on a working visit. The delegation included Chairman of the State Committee for Construction of Turkmenistan Arkadag Deryageldi Orazov, Chairman of the State Bank for Foreign Economic Activity Rahimberdi Dzhepbarov, Rector of the University of Engineering Technologies Gurbanmyrat Mezilov, Chairman of Turkmennebit State Concern Guvanch Aghajanov and Third Secretary of the Consulate General of Turkmenistan in Russia Maral Rustamova. The guests met with the head of the Kazan Executive Committee Rustem Gafarov, and learned about the experience of digitalization of various processes in the field of public utilities, namely, the successful implementation of the Open Kazan system and the Safe City project.
Photo: Turkmenistan Altyn Asyr
Year of foundation: 2019
Population: 64 086 people
Area: 10,02 km² (2021)
Time zone: UTC+5
About city:
The construction of the city began with the selection of the construction location. Many factors such as natural, climatic, seismic, availability of engineering infrastructure and others were taken into account when choosing the place of construction. The new city of Arkadag, which is the administrative center of the Akhal province, is located in a picturesque place in the foothills of the Kopetdag mountain range, surrounded by gardens and forest plantations, which favorably affects the ecological and climatic situation of the city. A land plot with a total area of more than 1000 hectares (approximately 2470 acres) was allocated for the construction of the city.
The city is located 30 kilometers from Ashgabat and its construction is planned in two phases. At present, the first phase has been completed and 336 different objects have been built. One of them is a monument to an Akhalteke horse named Akkhan. In 2018, this horse entered the Guinness Book of Records by passing 10 meters on its hind legs in 4.19 seconds.
Arkadag will use environmentally friendly transport, «smart car parks», and solar panels. The two parts of the city will occupy an area of 1,002 hectares (2475 acres), and the population will be about 73,000 people.
Joint actions, contacts:
Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin made an official visit to Turkmenistan on June 29, 2023 and took part in the opening ceremony of the first part of a new city of Arkadag. After taking part in the ceremony, Ilsur Metshin signed a co-operation agreement with the Head of Arkadag.
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Astana (Republic of Kazakhstan)Expand CollapseOn the night of August 17-18, 2024, participants from Astana took part in the “Night Bikefest" in Kazan.
Photo: paralympic.org
Document: Memorandum of Twinning and Partnership (2004)
Year of foundation: 1830
Population: 1.1 million (2020)
Area: 797 km2
Time zone: GMT +6.
Web site: astana.gov.kz
About city:
Astana is the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, located in the north of the country. Actively developing business and cultural center of Kazakhstan with rich cultural traditions, which in 1999 UNESCO awarded the title of "City of Peace", which means that in the city peacefully coexist representatives of different nationalities and religions. Architects of world renown are involved in designing projects in the city, and the architectural concept of the capital is based on the idea of forming a special architectural style, combining the traditions of the West and East.
Astana regularly hosts the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, the Astana Economic Forum and other significant international events. The historic OSCE summit and the jubilee summits of the SCO and the OIC took place here. In the beginning of 2011 the capital of the republic hosted the participants and guests of the VII Winter Asian Games.
Joint activities, contacts:
Active exchange of official delegations, mutual participation in forums, conferences.
A number of schools of Kazan maintain friendly relations with schools of Astana on the exchange of experience.
Astana has been a member of UCLG Eurasia since 2015.
In 2015, the main street in the center of Kazan was named after the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In 2016, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between TOO Astana Convention Bureau and Kazan Tourism Development Support Committee. Within the framework of the memorandum, in 2017 and 2018 the work on the exchange of banner advertising with Astana (Kazakhstan) was carried out.
In April 2017, a delegation of the Astana Akimat visited Kazan to study the experience of the Safe City program.
From January 30 to February 5, 2017 there was organized participation of a group of educators from the Republic of Tatarstan, which included 10 directors, deputy directors of schools, specialists of Education Department of Kazan, in the International seminar in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Astana). The international seminar was organized on the theme "Quality management in general education organizations on the basis of BiS technology".
On June 13, 2017 in the Family Village cottage in Astana the official opening of the street named after Queen Suyumbike took place. The President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the Mayor of Astana Aset Issekeshev took part in the ceremony.
Representatives of TOO Astana Convention Bureau took part in the 24th international specialized exhibition Tourism and Sports (KITS 2019), which was held from April 11 to 13, 2019 in Kazan.
On October 11, 2019 in Astana Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and Akim of Astana Altay Kulginov discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in matters of social and economic development, as well as the work of the World Organization United Cities and Local Governments. At the end of the meeting the parties signed a joint communiqué on the results of the VIII UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism "Smart Cities, Smart Destinations". The document involves cooperation in the development of tourism, in particular - the holding of joint cultural events.
On October 18, 2019, during the plenary session of the World Urban Parks Congress-2019, an Agreement on the opening of the Eurasian branch of the World Urban Parks in Kazan was signed. The signatories of the agreement were the Chairman of the European branch of the World Urban Parks Association, the President of the Landscape Institute of Ireland, the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Head of the Center of Urbanism of Astana, the partner of Citymakers Bureau.
On July 3, 2020, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin took part in the online conference “Innovations and Smartcity in the Fight against the Pandemic”, organized by the International Assembly of Capitals and Large Cities of the CIS Countries (IAC) on the initiative of the Chairman of the International Assembly of Smart Cities - Akim of Nur-Sultan Altai Kulginov.
On September 23, 2020, Altay Kulginov, Akim of Astana addressed the Mayors’ Round Table within the international forum Kazan Digital Week-2020.
On November 18, 2020 the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin as the President of UNACLA took part in the international online forum Global Silk Road - City Mayors Forum within the framework of the congress G-Global. World of the XXI Century congress in Astana.
December 10, 2020 Deputy Head of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova made a presentation at the online conference "Ecology - a key factor of sustainable development of cities", organized by the International Assembly of Cities and Capitals (IAC) and initiated by Nursultan as Chairman of the IAC. The speakers discussed the exchange of experience and deepening of cooperation between administrations on forming the conditions for sustainable development of cities and improving the living standards of their people.
Deputy Akim of Astana Bbakhtiyar Maken spoke at the round table "Healthy nutrition for children. Best Practices of Organization of Nutrition" that was held on June 1-3, 2021 in Kazan, within the framework of the International Forum "Healthy Cities. Healthy nutrition for children".
On June 4, 2021 Director of the Kazan Tourism Development Committee Dariya Sannikova met with a delegation of Erzhan Baltaev, Chairman of the Board of Astana Invest. In the course of the meeting issues of cooperation development, promotion of tourism potential of the two regions, holding joint events and other issues were discussed. The meeting resulted in signing a Memorandum of Cooperation between Director of Kazan City Tourism Development Committee and Chairman of the Management Board of Astana Invest Municipal Development Center LLP.
On September 21, 2021 in Kazan the Mayors’ Round Table of "Evolution of smart cities" took place within the International Forum Kazan Digital Week- 2021, Botagoz Kasabek, Head of State institution "Department of digitization and state services of Astana " took part in it.
A delegation of Astana visited Kazan from February 28 to March 3, 2022. As part of the visit, on March 1 the delegation met with representatives of the Kazan City Hall. The meeting was attended by Fanis Nurmukhametov, Head of the Aviastroitelny and Novo-Savinovsky District Administrations, Evgeniy Varakin, Prefect of the Old City territory, Ruslan Galiakhmetov, Head of International and Intermunicipal Relations Department of the Kazan City Duma, Robert Garipov, Head of the Kazan Parks and Gardens Directorate and others. The representatives of the delegation visited one of the courtyards of Novo-Savinovsky district, Kaban Lake embankment, Kremlin, walked along Ak Chuchaklar boulevard and got acquainted with the largest sport facilities of Kazan.
Deputy Akim of Astana Yerlan Bekmurzaev joined the delegation of the Eurasian Branch of the UCLG, headed by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, and took part in the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Daejeon on October 10-14, 2022.
On July 4-7, 2023, Deputy Head of the Kazan Municipality Evgeniya Lodvigova took part in the Mayor's Forum "25th Anniversary of Astana: Astana - the City of the Future".
The head of the State Institution "Astana Investment and Entrepreneurship Development Department" Halil Akimzhanov took part in the work of the United Cities Forum (UCF), which was held on September 7-8, 2023 in Kazan within the framework of the International Forum "SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation."
Akim of Nurinsky district of Astana, Jusup Zhumagulov, made a presentation at the Round Table of Mayors "Artificial Intelligence in city management" within the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week-2023.
On June 21-23, 2024, a delegation from Astana headed by Yeset Baykin, Deputy Mayor of Astana, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of the BRICS+ Cities.
Athletes from Astana took part in the Special Olympics international swimming tournament “Let’s Win Together” among people with Down syndrome, which was held in Kazan from June 6 to 10, 2025.On June 10-13, 2025, People's Artists of the Republic of Tatarstan Farida Akhmetshina and Alsu Sungatullina took part in the concert «International Constellations of Nazib Zhiganov», dedicated to the memory of the legendary conductor, People's Artist of Kazakhstan, Russia and Tatarstan Fuat Mansurov, in Astana.
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Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan)Expand Collapse
Фото: baku-ih.gov.az
Documents: Protocol of Intent between the Executive Power of Baku and the City of Kazan (2003)
Year of foundation: 400
Population: 2.2 million (2020)
Аrea: 2140 km² (2021)
Time Zone: GMT +4
Website: http://www.baku-ih.gov.az/
About the city:
Baku is the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the largest port on the Caspian Sea and the largest city in the Caucasus. The largest industrial and economic center of Transcaucasia. Baku combines the dynamics of modern life and tradition of a rich culture. Within the territory of the Old City and in its vicinity one can see numerous monuments belonging to different epochs, religions and cultures. The main industries that ensure the economic development of the city are international trade, oil refining, chemical, engineering, food and textile industry.
Joint events, contacts:
The administration of Baku took an active part in the Great Volga Way project.
In 2011, the Kazan delegation studied the experience of urban development in Baku.
In 2014 the cooperation between the representatives of the construction sector of Kazan and the Azerbaijani side developed.
In 2014 representatives of Kazan visited Baku and discussed the prospects of cooperation in the field of tourism.
From April 6 to 8, 2017 in Baku, a delegation from Kazan took part in the XVI International Azerbaijani Tourist Exhibition "AITF" and received a certificate from the organizers of the exhibition for the best presentation of the city.
On October 25, 2018, the Kazan delegation met with representatives of the Tatar diaspora in Baku.
From April 4 to April 6, 2023, Baku hosted the international travel fair “Travel and Tourism” AITF 2023, which brought together leading tourism industry experts from 15 countries. Kazan, together with colleagues from St. Petersburg, the Leningrad region and Moscow, presented travel offers for travel around Russia.
On the eve of the start of the 2024 tourist season, information with an invitation to visit Kazan was posted on the social networks of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tatarstan in Azerbaijan and the Russian house in Baku. Banners with an invitation to visit the city of Kazan were installed in Azerbaijan.
On June 21-23, 2024, a delegation from Baku headed by Anar Tagiev, the head of the department on working with territorial administration bodies and local self-government, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of the BRICS+ Cities.
From September 8 to 11, 2024, in order to get acquainted with the experience and best practices in the field of architecture, urban planning and improvement of public spaces, a delegation from the Republic of Azerbaijan visited Kazan.
On September 11-13, 2024, an employee of the Azerbaijani Translation Center under the Cabinet of Ministers of the country, writer, journalist and translator Etimad Bashkechid took part in the BRICS Literary Forum “World Literature in the New Reality. Dialogue of traditions, national values and cultures. These days, Etimad Bashkechid plans to collect a list of significant Tatar authors from the Chairman of the Union of Writers of Tatarstan Rkail Zaidullin in order to subsequently translate their works into the Azerbaijani language.
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Bansko (Republic of Bulgaria)Expand Collapse
Photo: visit-bansko.bg
Document: Agreement on Mutual Cooperation in Tourism (2017)
Year of foundation: 1868
Population: 9 thousand people (2020)
Area of the city: 148 km²
Time zone: GMT +9
Website: http://www.bansko.bg/
About the city:
Bansko is a city in southwestern Bulgaria. Economic activity in the city is concentrated in the service sector and tourist services. In the city and in its vicinity there are numerous mineral springs. Now Bansko is a fast growing center for winter sports. Held stages of the Alpine Skiing World Cup. In 2014 the resort in Bansko was named the most affordable ski resort in the world.
Joint events, contacts:
From December 7 to 9, 2016, a delegation from the city of Bansko visited Kazan. The delegation took part in the business forum Business partners of Tatarstan and met with a representative of the Executive Committee of Kazan.
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Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic)Expand CollapseOn February 21, 2024, the Consulate General of the Kyrgyz Republic has opened in Kazan, the scope of which will cover the territories of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Mari El, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Udmurtia and Ulyanovsk region. The Council General is Eric Beishembiev. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Jeenbek Kulubaev, arrived at the opening ceremony as an honorary guest. The Secretary of Kazan City Duma Albina Rafikova greeted everyone gathered from the Kazan City Hall.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Documents: Treaty on Economic and Socio-Cultural Cooperation (1998)
Year of foundation: 1823
Population: 1,053,000 (2020)
Area: 160 km² (2018)
Time zone: GMT +6
Website: https://www.meria.kg/
About the city:
Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan, located at the foot of the Tien Shan Mountains in Central Asia. Fr om here you can reach the Ala-Too mountain ranges and Ala-Archa National Park, famous for its glaciers and wildlife. Cultural centers of the city are the monumental National Museum of Art and the Opera and Ballet Theater, housed in a building with columns. A monument to the hero of the Kyrgyz epic Manas the Magnificent has been erected in the central Ala-Too Square.
Joint activities and contacts:
Bishkek is a member of the UCLG Eurasia. Takes an active part in all activities of UCLG.
On September 23, 2020 Adilet Maldybaev, Chief of the Mayor's Office of Bishkek, took part in the international forum Kazan Digital Week-2020 and made a report at the Mayors’ Round Table of "Smart City".
On October 20, 2020 the Vice-Mayor of Bishkek V.A. Mozgacheva took part in the Forum of Twinned Cities and Municipal Formations of the BRICS countries - 2020.
On October, 21, 2021 the vice-mayor of Bishkek Victoria Mozgacheva made a speech at the VII Global forum of Milan Pact of the urban food policy, which was held in Barcelona, where Kazan was the key regional coordinator in the region of Eurasia and South-Western Asia and the chairman city of the Coordination Council of the Milan Pact in 2021-2023.
On December 9, 2021 a teleconference between schools of Kazan and Bishkek took place.
The Chingiz Aitmatov International Conference was held on December, 17-21, 2021.
Representatives of Kazan participated in the First International Exhibition "EXPO-RUSSIA KYRGYZSTAN 2022" fr om June 15 to 17, 2022.
During the visit of representatives of the Kazan City Duma to Tehran (Iran) in August 2022, a working meeting was held with representatives of Bishkek City Kenesh, wh ere the Kyrgyz side expressed interest in cooperation with the deputies of the Kazan City Duma.
On September 20, 2022 a meeting of deputies of Kazan City Duma with the delegation of Bishkek in Kazan City Hall was held. The event was attended by the Secretary of the Kazan City Duma Albina Rafikova, deputies, as well as heads of structural divisions of the Executive Committee of the city. Deputies of Bishkek Kenesh visited the sights of Kazan, as well as familiarized themselves with the work of the Executive Committee of Kazan.
On September 21, 2022, Deputy Chairman of Bishkek City Kenesh Toktosun Sultanov made a report at the meeting of the round table of Mayors "Digital transformation of management in the city", which was held in the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week - 2022.
Representatives of Bishkek Kenesh were a part of the delegation of the UCLG, headed by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, and took part in the World Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Daejeon on October 10-14, 2022.
In 2022, within the framework of the agreement on cooperation in the field of education between Lyceum №149 of the Sovetsky district of Kazan and the non-state non-profit educational institution "Asyl Bala Educational and Training Complex" of Bishkek, students took an active part in scientific and practical conferences, competitions, including "Duslyk kүpere", "Bridge of Friendship", School "Diligent Child".
In 2022, educational institutions of Bishkek, relatives of Chingiz Aitmatov took part in the International Conference named after Aitmatov, which was held on the basis of Lyceum № 121 of Sovetsky district of Kazan (online and offline formats).
On May 25-26, 2023, the Chairman of Bishkek City Kenesh, Chairman of the UCLG of the Kyrgyz Republic Kubanychbek Kongantiev and Director of UCLG of the Kyrgyz Republic Bekturgan Orozbayev took personal participation in the Eurasian training "Eurasian Cities and Global Trends", which was held in Kazan.
A representative of Bishkek City Council participated in the event "United Cities Forum" (UCF), which was held on September 7-8, 2023 in Kazan in the framework of the International Forum "SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation". During the event, the Kyrgyz delegation held a meeting with the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, wh ere the prospects of cooperation between the municipalities were discussed.
On November 2-4, 2023, a delegation of representatives of the municipal enterprise "Bishkekglavarhitektura" under the leadership of Deputy Chief Architect of the Kyrgyz capital Nazgul Koibagarova visited Kazan to study the best practices for the implementation of the General Plan and development of the city.
The Bishkek delegation took part in the International Architectural and Construction Forum "Kazanysh", which was held on December 5-7, 2023 in Kazan.
On May 14, 2024, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin met with the Consul General of the Kyrgyz Republic in Kazan Erik Beishembiev at the city executive committee. The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in various areas: in the field of economics, urban management, socio-cultural sphere, etc.In 2024, Lyceum No. 121 named after Hero of the Soviet Union Sabir Akhtyamov of Kazan and the national center for children and youth “Seitek” of Bishkek and school No. 24 of Bishkek held an online international conference by Chingiz Aitmatov, an international video conference between Tatarstan and Kyrgyzstan with creative teams of the national center for children and youth “Seytek”.
On February 6-8, 2025, a delegation from Bishkek headed by the mayor of the city, Aybek Dzhunushaliev, visited Kazan to participate in the international architectural and construction forum «Kazanysh». The Mayor of Bishkek made a presentation at the plenary session: «Vigorous Cities: Unity of Diversity». Chief Architect of Bishkek Urmat Karybaev made a speech at the first meeting of the Architecture and Urban Development Committee of the Association of BRICS+ Cities and Municipalities, an association of chief architects of BRICS+ cities and at the panel session: «Enhancing investment attractiveness of development projects through effective city-planning policies».
On May 29-June 12, 2025, participants of the Children's Philharmonic at the Kazan City Philharmonic took part in the anniversary V International Children's Folklore Festival «Nariste» in Bishkek.
From October 26 to 29, 2025, representatives of the Bishkek City Hall's Digital Technology Center visited Kazan to exchange experiences in the field of digital municipal property management.
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Bryan-College Station (United States of America)Expand Collapse
Photo: planning-next.com
Document: Treaty on the Establishment of Twin Cities Relations (1990).
Population: 273,101 (2019)
Area of the city: 185 km2
Time zone: GMT -6
Website: http://www.bryantx.gov/ , http://www.cstx.gov/
About the city:
Bryan-College Station is an agglomeration of the Twin Cities of Bryan and College Station, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is home to the seventh largest university in the United States, Texas A&M University.
Joint activities, contacts:
Periodic exchange of high school students since 1990, 2-year relationship development programs were adopted.
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Braunschweig (Germany)Expand Collapse
Photo: braunschweig.de
Document: Treaty of Friendship (1988)
Year of foundation: 1031
Population: 248 thousand (2020)
Area: 192.7 km² (2020)
Time zone: GMT +1
Website: https://www.braunschweig.de/english/index.php
About the city:
The Braunschweig region is currently an important European educational and scientific center. In 2007 Braunschweig was awarded the honorary title of "City of Science" by the Association of Science Foundations of Germany. One of the great mathematicians, Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), was born in Braunschweig.
Joint activities, contacts:
Annual exchange of groups of schoolchildren.
Joint sports festivals and competitions.
In 2018, a presentation of the tourist potential of Kazan was organized in Braunschweig.
On June 25, 2018, a meeting with the delegation of Braunschweig was held at the Kazan City Hall.
On October 30, 2018, the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the twinning ties between the cities was held in Braunschweig.
On October 29, 2018, a bronze plate with the coat of arms of Kazan was unveiled on the main street of Braunschweig in front of the city hall.
From June 20 to 23, 2019, a cultural night was held in Braunschweig, which was attended by artists from Kazan: the Panther dance ensemble, composer Elmir Nizamov and singer Elmira Kalimullina.
In December 2019, information about the New Year traditions of Kazan was posted on the official website of Braunschweig.
On October 19-20, 2020, Gerhard Vermes, head of the Braunschweig Department of Public Health, and Barbara Frisch, an employee of the Braunschweig Department of International Relations, took part in the BRICS Twinned Cities and Municipalities Forum 2020.
Besides, in 2020 information about Kazan's New Year's traditions was posted on the official website of Braunschweig (in the "Twin Cities Traditions" section).
The year 2021 saw the election of the Mayor of Braunschweig, Mr. Thorsten Kornblum, for the position of Oberbűrgermeister. The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin exchanged greetings and discussed a plan of twinning relations development.
In January 2022, a program for the development of partnership relations was signed, providing for the exchange of groups of schoolchildren.
In March 2022 a letter was received from the Mayor of Braunschweig Mr. Thosten Kornblum about his readiness to support the further development of relations between the cities.
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Verona (Italian Republic)Expand Collapse
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Document: Partnership Agreement (2011)
Year of foundation: 89 B.C.
Population: 257 thousand people (2018)
City area: 198.92 km²
Time Zone: GMT +1
Website: http://www.comune.verona.it/
About the city:
Verona is a city in the Venice region of northern Italy. The city is home to the metallurgical, engineering, chemical, light, woodworking, printing, food and building materials industries. Verona has two thousand years of history, set in its charming old streets. The city has a large concentration of landmarks dating back various centuries. Verona was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Verona hosted several football matches during the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The city is famous for being the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Joint events, contacts:
In April 2013 the Bank of Verona issued a commemorative coin dedicated to the establishment of twinning relations between Kazan and Verona.
In 2016 a representative of the Executive Committee of Kazan took part in the Fifth Eurasian Forum in Verona.
In June 2021, the first retreat of the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum "Innovative Enterprises and Technologies of Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan" was held at the Kazan City Hall. The main topic of discussion for the representatives of Russian and Italian business, specialized non-profit and governmental structures was the prospects of economic and industrial cooperation.
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Guangzhou (People's Republic of China)Expand CollapseRepresentatives of the Guangzhou City Hall took part in the Cities' Round Table «Modern Urban Services» in an online format within the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week-2024.
Photo: guangzhou.gov.cn
Document: Agreement on the Establishment of Twinning Relations (2012)
Year of foundation: 862 B.C.
Area of the city: 7434.4 km² (2020)
Population: 14.4 million (2020)
Time zone: GMT +8
Website: http://www.guangzhou.gov.cn/
About the city:
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. It is the political, economic, scientific, technical, educational, cultural and transport center of southern China. It is currently the third largest industrial exhibition in the world in terms of volume of transactions. Guangzhou has come out on top among Chinese cities in terms of cross-border e-commerce exports and imports. The sites of Diaolou and Kaiping Village are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Joint events, contacts:
On February 20, 2018, the Spasskaya Tower of the Kazan Kremlin was illuminated with a red light in honor of Guangzhou, China's sister city.
In 2018, Kazan, along with New York (USA), Sydney (Australia) and Milan (Italy), was among the top 15 finalists for the Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Award.
On July 17, 2019, a ceremony was organized to hand over a traditional reference Chinese tea for the collection of the Kazan Tea Way Museum.
On November 20, 2020, Guangzhou handed over 50,000 masks and 100 thermometers to Kazan volunteers. This is the largest batch that Chinese cities have sent to their twin cities.
On November 26, 2020, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin delivered a congratulatory video message for the ceremony of the 5G 2020 WORLD CONVENTION held in Guangzhou.
On September 21, 2021, Kazan hosted a Mayors’ Round Table «Evolution of smart Cities» within the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week – 2021, which was attended by representatives of Guangzhou.
On October 14, 2021, Ruslan Galiakhmetov, Head of the Department of International and Inter-Municipal Relations, participated in the Canton Fair (Guangzhou) in an online format as a listener.
In 2022, a project was implemented to establish and develop a network of mutually beneficial contacts between the leading enterprises of Kazan and Guangzhou, as well as the preparation of the Kazan-Guangzhou 2022 Business Forum.
On June 17, 2022, a 6-party agreement was signed between Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Khabarovsk and the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Qiqihar. The meeting was held via video conference call between the cities of Russia and China.
In October 2022, Kazan was presented at the photo exhibition, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Urban Innovation Award, organized by Guangzhou, as well as at the exhibition of photographs of the twin cities of Guangzhou.
On December 9, 2022, in honor of the anniversary of the establishment of twinning relations between Kazan and Guangzhou, Chinese friends donated the Kazan Federal (Volga Region) University a unique collection of books «Encyclopedia of Cantonese Musical Art or Encyclopedia of Guangzhou». Forty-three volumes contain the works of prominent personalities of Guangzhou, iconic examples of literature on history and culture, as well as copies of pages of rare books. The Guangzhou Encyclopedia is a comprehensive set of the best examples of Chinese art fr om antiquity to the present day. Ruslan Galiakhmetov, Head of the Department of International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the Kazan City Council, Xiang Bo, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Kazan, Timirkhan Alishev, Vice-Rector for External Relations of the KFU, Alfiya Alikberova, Director of the Confucius Institute of the KFU, and Liu Pingqing, Head of the Guangzhou Encyclopedia Research Center, took part in the book transfer ceremony.
On April 21, 2023, the Friendship of Peoples online chess tournament took place. It brought together teams from Kazan, Ufa, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Guangzhou and Qiqihar. It was the first joint event after the signing of the six-party agreement between the cities of Russia and China in 2022, and was intended to strengthen friendly relations.
On May 25-26, 2023, Nicholas Yu, Executive Director of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, an expert in the field of sustainable development, participated online in the Eurasian training «Eurasia Cities and Global Trends», which was held in Kazan.
On the initiative of Guangzhou, from March to June 2023, there were organized online Chinese language courses for employees of the Kazan City Council.
Photos of Kazan were posted on the Stand of the participating cities of the six-party agreement within the framework of the Guangzhou Expo, which took place from August 25 to 28, 2023 in Guangzhou.
In 2023, the project of the rehabilitation of the city-park Chaikovoye Lake improvement entered the top 15 of the Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Award.
In August 2023, a delegation from Guangzhou visited Kazan to familiarize itself with the best practices of Kazan. The delegation included Deng Jianfu, Deputy Secretary General of the CPC Committee in Guangzhou, Deng Hongyong, Deputy Head of the Guangzhou Development and Reform Commission, Zhou Daly, Head of the Planning and Development Department of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Guangzhou People's Government, Ruan Wei, head of the Guangzhou Center for International Exchanges and Cooperation, and other officials.
On September 11-15, 2023, a delegation from Kazan headed by Ilsur Metshin visited Guangzhou. On September 15, 2023, a meeting was held with Guangzhou Mayor Guo Yonghang. The heads of the two cities discussed cooperation in the fields of sports, tourism, landscaping, economy and entrepreneurship.
On November 1, 2023, an online round table meeting of the participants in the protocol of intent was held between the cities of Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Khabarovsk, Guangzhou and Qiqihar. The head of the Europe and America Department of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Guangzhou CPC City Committee Mr. Zheng Jun took part in this event.
In December 2023, Vice-Mayor of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova and Head of the Department of International and Inter-Municipal Relations Ruslan Galiakhmetov visited the city of Guangzhou, wh ere Kazan was awarded the Medal of Honor of the Guangzhou International Award in the field of urban innovation for the improvement project of the park "Maloye Chaikovoye Lake".
Kazan pupils defended the city's honour at the international drawing competition "Megacity through the Eyes of Children", which was held as part of the Global Mayors' Forum in Guangzhou on 7-9 December 2023. 19 outstanding artworks, 5 of which were made by Kazan pupils, were selected by a commission of international experts and displayed at the exhibition.
The Guangzhou delegation headed by Vice Mayor Ms Tan Ping took part in the opening ceremony of the Games of the Future held on 22 February 2024. During the visit, the guests met with the leadership of the Kazan Executive Committee and Kazan City Council.
On October 31, 2024, Nicholas Yu, Executive Director of the Guangzhou Institute of Urban Innovation, spoke at the BRICS Association of Cities and Municipalities meeting in Dubai.The delegation of the city of Guangzhou, led by Cai Jian'an, a member of the party committee and the Head of superintendent of Guangzhou Municipal Education Bureau, took part online in the session «School Exchanges as a Key for Intermunicipal Cooperation» within the framework of the II International Forum “SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation”, which was held November 14-15, 2024. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the multidisciplinary lyceum No. 187 of the Sovetsky district of Kazan and the Wangxiu secondary school at Tsinghua University in Guangzhou. Within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation, the institutions discussed the possibility of exchanging teaching experience between the teaching staff of both schools in 2025.
On July 7-11, 2025, an educational forum of the twin cities of China and Russia was held in Guangzhou, which was attended by representatives of the Kazan Department of Education, as well as Kazan schools. The participants considered the possibility of concluding new interscholastic agreements with China and learning from Guangzhou's experience in pedagogy and educational infrastructure to take cooperation to a new level.
On August 18, 2025, the Guangzhou team took part online in the Friendly Chess Tournament between teams from sister and partner cities of Russia and China as part of the III International Business Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation».
On September 16-20, 2025, the delegation of Guangzhou to participate in the Round Table «How Digitalization is Transforming Cities» within the framework of Kazan Digital Week-2025, at which Li Gang, Chief Engineer of the Guangzhou City Civil Service and Data Administration, made a presentation.
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Isfahan (Islamic Republic of Iran)Expand Collapse
Photo: www.imna.ir
Year of Foundation: 455-485 AD
Population: 2.1 Million (2025)
City Area: 551 km² (2024)
Time Zone: GMT +3:30
Website: https://cityofisfahan.ir/
About the city:
Isfahan is the most popular tourist destination in Iran, it is the capital city of the central region, located 400 kilometers south of Tehran.
It is the third most populous city in Iran.
Isfahan is known for its outstanding examples of Islamic architecture of the 11th -19th centuries, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Isfahan is one of the cradles of Persian carpet weaving. Every year, major exhibitions of Persian carpets took place in Isfahan, which attract collectors and buyers from around the world.
The main sectors of the economy include textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, oil refining, electrical engineering, aviation, automotive, pharmaceuticals, food, footwear, energy (including nuclear power), trade, transportation, agro-food (including wheat, legumes, vegetables, citrus fruits, grapes, pomegranates, cotton, pistachios, and flowers, especially roses), tourism, mining of copper, lead-zinc ores, and construction materials.
The metallurgical companies, Mobarakeh Steel Complex and Isfahan Steel Company, the pharmaceutical company Farabi, and the household appliance manufacturer Entechab Industrial Group, are based in Isfahan. Some of the largest enterprises in the city include the petrochemical plant “National Iranian Petrochemical Company”, National Oil Refining and Distribution Company, the electrical plant “Iran Electronics Industry”, and Nosa Research Center.
Joint events:
In 2024, children from Kazan participated in the Pupak international children's drawing contest in Isfahan, the contest was dedicated to the topic of “Must-see attractions in my city”.
In June 2024, the Mayor of Isfahan Ali Ghasemzadeh supported the establishment of the Association of BRICS+ Cities and Municipalities and personally attended the founding assembly in Kazan.
In October 2024, the city of Isfahan extended an invitation to trainees from the Kazan sports schools and clubs to participate in the First International Setokan Karate Martial Arts Competition in May, 2025.
In February 2025, Seyed Morteza Hesamnejad, the Deputy Mayor of Isfahan for Urban Planning and Architecture and Chief Architect of Isfahan, paid a visit to Kazan and delivered a speech at the Kazanysh International Architectural and Construction Forum.
On April 9, 2025, an official meeting was held between the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and the Mayor of Isfahan Ali Ghasemzadeh during which they signed a memorandum of understanding to establish twinning relations between Kazan (Russian Federation, Republic of Tatarstan) and Isfahan (Islamic Republic of Iran).
Cooperation with Isfahan also takes place within the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments, the League of Historic Cities, and the Asian Forum of Mayors (Kazan has been a member of the executive council since 2011).
The Mayor of Isfahan Ali Ghasemzadeh attended the General Assembly of the Association of BRICS+ Cities and Municipalities on May 26-28, 2025 in Marica, Brazil. He spoke at the Architecture and Urban Development session.
On November 25-28, 2025, the delegation of the Committee for Tourism Development of Kazan participated in the International Exhibition of Tourism, Handicrafts and Hotel held in Isfahan. The topics discussed were tourist destinations, cultural exchange and promotion of ethnic handicrafts. Kazan’s stand was visited and highly appraised by the Mayor of Isfahan, Ali Ghasemzadeh.
On December 16, 2025, a delegation from Isfahan visited Kazan City Hall with the goal of discussing the creation of a permanent exhibition-store of Iranian products in Kazan. Topics of discussion during the meeting included potential ways of bringing the idea to life, and the opportunity to open a similar store of Kazan’s products in Isfahan.