Kazan and Minsk have become twin cities

Today, Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and Chairman of the Minsk Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev signed an agreement establishing twinning relations and cooperation between the cities. The signing ceremony took place in the Minsk City Hall. Under the agreement, the two cities plan to exchange experiences in various areas, including economics, urban planning, transportation infrastructure, housing, education, culture, healthcare, environmental protection, sports, and tourism. The agreement also provides for the exchange of official delegations, specialists, and tourist groups.

«We have arrived with a specific goal, we want to gain knowledge as much as possible. We visited the National Children's Technopark, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Minsk Automobile Plant, which we have long-standing cooperation with – our city uses vehicles manufactured in Minsk in public transportation. Nevertheless, we must continue to expand, as cooperation in the social sector is essential», – the Mayor said.

After signing the agreement, a roadmap will be developed for cooperation in various areas. «We have found common ground and seen the interest of your delegation. Together, we can work in very promising areas covering all aspects of urban activity, including industrial issues, the economy, and the social sphere», – said the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Minsk.

Ilsur Metshin invited the cities of Belarus to join the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities. This association was established in Kazan this summer. The Mayor noted that there is already a space for dialogue and cooperation around this new association.

He invited Vladimir Kukharev, the Mayor of Minsk, and other representatives from Minsk to participate in the Kazanysh International Architectural and Construction Forum in February 2025.

Separately, the Mayor emphasized the importance of joint work in education. He noted that about 20 Kazan schools have expressed a desire to collaborate with Belarusian institutions and have proposed organizing school exchanges to learn about the culture of both countries.

Presently, Kazan is actively collaborating with the capital of Belarus on several areas. Since 2006, buses, trams, and trolleybuses produced in Minsk have been purchased for Kazan, and a total of 425 vehicles from Belarus are now operating on city routes. After delivering 39 new trolleybuses, another 64 Belarusian trolleybuses will be operating in Kazan this year.

Cooperation has been established between then Idea technopark in Kazan and the Minsk City Technopark. Agreements have been reached to support Belarusian companies in entering the Russian market, information assistance and search for partners in Russia, as well as an agreement on cooperation in the implementation of joint scientific and technical projects and programs has been signed.