Shamil Gafarov: ‘We have three UNESCO monuments, and we are proud of it, but we will not stop there’

There are three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Tatarstan, but the republic is not going to stop there. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister — Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan Shamil Gafarov, speaking at the closing of the international forum on the 50th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

According to Shamil Gafarov, Tatarstan has a rich experience in holding international events:

“This event — the international forum dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage — is especially valuable for us, because we are engaged in cultural heritage that will be passed on to future generations. We were looking forward to this event with trepidation and are proud that it has taken place on the territory of Tatarstan, and thank you very much for that," he said.

The international forum was attended by Russian and foreign experts from 56 countries of the world.

“The participants of the conference united in their work, raised a variety of issues. It is a great victory that they visited us and that such important and topical issues were discussed. We are sure that the cultural heritage of Tatarstan and Russia is in safe hands. This is very important for us," Shamil Gafarov stressed.

At the same time, he noted that three UNESCO sites are already located in Tatarstan, which underlines the republic's experience in preserving cultural objects.

“We have three UNESCO monuments, and we are proud of it, but we will not stop there. The strength of Tatarstan is that we have a legacy that can be passed on to future generations," he said.

The republic will continue to work on the inclusion of historical sites in the UNESCO heritage, the Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of Ministers of Tatarstan concluded.

Earlier this month, the Adymnar multilingual educational complex received the status of a UNESCO associated school and the corresponding certificate. At the same time, Tatarstan State Adviser, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Republican Renaissance Foundation, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mintimer Shaimiev said that a youth model of the organisation's committee appeared on the basis of this school.

Maksim Kokunin
Tatarstan