Kazan mayor highlights how infrastructure upgrades made for BRICS summit will leave lasting legacy

The mayor of the Russian city of Kazan, host of the just-concluded 16th BRICS Summit, says the significant infrastructure improvements made in preparation for the event will leave a lasting legacy for residents and vowed the city will continue to foster close ties with its Chinese sister cities.

Ilsur Metshin, Kazan's mayor, outlined some of the extensive work that went in to prepare the summit in a recent interview with China Global Television Network.

The three-day BRICS summit wrapped up on Thursday after gathering global leaders and officials in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan. Notably the event was the first to be held since the expansion of the BRICS group earlier this year.

The emerging-market cooperative mechanism began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has now evolved into an influential international cooperation mechanism with an expanded membership. Besides the countries that officially joined the BRICS family on Jan 1, 2024, over 30 countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have either formally applied for or expressed interest in membership.

In accommodating this expanded format as the host city, Metshin listed some of the major improvements seen in Kazan, and stressed these have been designed not only to cater for the summit but will also deliver lasting benefits to its residents.

"We have built a record number of parks and squares this year. We have rebuilt quite a lot of structures, and we have done some work on transport infrastructure, including a railway station. Our airport's throughput and capacity have been expanded and can now receive all types of aircraft at the same time. All these upgrades will remain after the BRICS Summit and will serve our residents and future visitors," said the mayor.

Kazan also enjoys strong ties with 10 Chinese cities, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen in southern China, Xi'an and Chengdu in the west, Qingdao in the east, as well as Harbin and Qiqihar in the north.

While acknowledging the ongoing exchanges and cooperation between these sister cities, Metshin also emphasized the importance of China-Russia relations as a key factor in promoting global peace.

"We have 10 sister cities with the People's Republic of China, so we are connected by real brotherly bonds. We are very active with those cities. We work together, we cooperate, and we constantly exchange delegations. China is our reliable, proven, true friend and partner. We believe that the Russia-China friendship is the future and the guarantee of peace throughout the world," he said.

Kazan mayor highlights how infrastructure upgrades made for BRICS summit will leave lasting legacy

In an increasingly divided world marked by conflict and uncertainty, experts at the Global Strategic Dialog 2024, held in Beijing on Thursday, are calling for enhanced dialogue and cooperation among nations to foster global economic stability and peaceful development

At the event, experts from China, Russia, the United States, Japan and beyond gathered to discuss the evolving role of major powers in guaranteeing global stability.

Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in his opening remarks that Beijing remains committed to cooperating with all parties to protect peace and continue building an open world economy, especially amid growing challenges to globalization.

Many participants echoed the need for major powers to take responsibility in addressing current global challenges, while also acknowledging China's role in global governance.

"A lot of these conflicts have been mismanaged, mishandled by the great powers, and particularly the United States have a responsibility to cool down those conflicts. And for that, it needs the cooperation. China has a major role to play because of its economic clout, because of its influence to try to find ways for achieving peace. And the major powers like China, United States, Russia, India, European Union, they have to engage in dialogue to resolve the problems like Ukraine and Gaza and other problems," said Amitav Acharya, former president of the International Studies Association.

"I think that China, together with Russia, as permanent UN council security members, can do a lot in terms of creating an international security agenda. And the logic of development of new international institutions, like BRICS, like Shanghai Cooperation Organization, can give a significant boost for development of more stable, more secure, and more multilateral and inclusive international order," said Fedor Voytolovskiy, director of the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Experts call for cooperation among major countries amid global turmoil