<Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan>
On November 13, Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan, submitted an application to the NEAR Secretariat for the republic to become NEAR’s fifth associate member.
The official approval of Tatarstan’s associate membership will follow written consent from NEAR member governments and will be formally decided at the NEAR High-Level Officers Meeting, scheduled to be held next year in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. With East Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan having recently submitted an associate membership application as well, both regions are expected to be considered together for approval next year.
If approved, Tatarstan would become the first Russian associate member from outside the Siberian Federal District and the Far Eastern Federal District.
Tatarstan’s application was made following an active outreach effort by NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin, who met Deputy Prime Minister Ravil Akhmetshin of Tatarstan during the 4th Roundtable on Northeast Asia Interregional Cooperation held in Jilin Province and encouraged the republic to join NEAR as an associate member. The initiative was also strongly supported by Georgy Zinoviev, Russian Ambassador to Korea.
The Republic of Tatarstan has a population of approximately four million and covers an area of 67,836 km², located in central Russia on the East European Plain, where the Volga River and Kama River meet.
Tatarstan is one of the most economically advanced regions in Russia, with major industries including oil extraction and refining, chemical manufacturing, aviation and machinery production, and agriculture. Its capital, Kazan, is an international city that hosted six matches during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 BRICS Summit.
NEAR is currently implementing its “NEAR + 2 (Southeast Asia, Central Asia)” strategy to expand cooperation with regional governments in Southeast and Central Asia. To date, Ho Chi Minh City (2017), Chuy Region of Kyrgyzstan (2024), and Turkestan Region of Kazakhstan (2025) have joined NEAR as associate members.