Ilsur Metshin, President of UCLG-Eurasia and Mayor of Kazan, met with António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), at Kazan City Hall. The guest was given a tour of the 19th century building, told about the history of the city and its sanctuaries. In turn, António Guterres invited Ilsur Metshin to take part in one of the UN meetings.
“We are very happy to see you in a historic building, the City Hall. We are honored to host you. The municipalities of the world know you as a great friend who supports our movement. You unite all the different us and you do it with love for people,” Ilsur Metshin said. In response, António Guterres thanked the Mayor in Russian.
A day earlier, Ilsur Metshin met with a delegation from the Republic of South Africa at Kazan City Hall. The parties discussed mutually beneficial cooperation and the implementation of joint projects in various areas. At the meeting, Ilsur Metshin thanked the guests for coming to Kazan and participating in the BRICS Summit. The South African delegation was headed by the country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Kazan maintains relations with South African cities and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) within the framework of inter-municipal cooperation. In June this year, a South African delegation took part in the founding meeting of the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities. Bheke Stofile, Co-President of the UCLG World Organization, President of SALGA, was among the first to support the establishment of the organization. Last September, a delegation from South Africa visited Kazan to participate in the United Cities Forum. Also in 2023, in May, Kazan hosted the Retreat “Eurasia Cities and Global Trends”, organized by UCLG-Eurasia and the Kazan Municipality. A South African delegation led by Bheke Stofile took part in the event. Even earlier, in 2019, UCLG-Eurasia delegation led by Ilsur Metshin visited South Africa to participate in the VI World Congress of UCLG.
The BRICS Summit was held in Kazan from October 22 to 24. The city hosted representatives of more than 30 countries and six international organizations. On the second day of the Summit, the Kazan Declaration was adopted at an enlarged session. It contains general assessments of the state of affairs in the world, the results of the Russian presidency in the Association, as well as outlines guidelines for cooperation in the long term. The document is planned to be disseminated in the UN.
The source: https://kzn.ru/
The photos: Denis Gordiyko, Marat Muginov
28.10.2024