Tatarstan's head meets with Iran's ambassador

Mintimer Shaimiev, president of Tatarstan (a republic integrated in the Russian Federation) has met with Golan Reza Shafei, Iran's ambassador in Moscow, to discuss bilateral economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. "An impetus to the development of dialogue of cultures and civilizations," said Mintimer Shaimiev, "is given not only by measures taken at the government level but also by contacts of medium and small businessmen, by cultural, scientific and religious exchanges. For his part, Shafei said that the common cultural tradition of Tatarstan and Iran enable them to expand cultural, scientific and educational ties and to pave the way for reciprocal penetration of private business and mutually-advantageous trade. The sides reviewed such topics as the situation in the Middle East, international terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime.