Kazan is preparing for the Russia – ASEAN summit: hoteliers have been instructed to check everything, "down to the soap dishes," roads will be updated, and illegal trade will be eliminated.

      During the Russia – ASEAN summit days, an exhibition of enterprises from Tatarstan will open at TSUM

      "By scale and importance, this is the second major event in the recent history of Kazan"

      Preparations are underway in Kazan for the fifth Russia – ASEAN summit, which will be held for the first time in the capital of Tatarstan from June 17 to 19. "By scale and importance, this is the second major event in the recent history of Kazan that we have been entrusted to host, after the BRICS summit. ASEAN is an important diplomatic partner for Russia. Southeast Asia is an actively developing region and the fifth largest economy in the world by aggregate volume. Undoubtedly, partnership relations are very important for our country. We know well that following a political event, economic and cultural ties are established," said the mayor of Tatarstan's capital, Ilsur Metshin, at a meeting of the city operational headquarters. He noted that the authority of Tatarstan and personally Raisa RT Rustam Minnikhanov, who "maintains an active dialogue with the Islamic world," played a significant role in the choice of the summit's venue. According to him, many Muslims live in ASEAN countries. For example, Indonesia has 287 million residents, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslims. "We have developed, so to speak, muscles, we have the competence and infrastructure to organize such global events. Therefore, we have been entrusted to once again present the face of our country. Undoubtedly, the attention of the whole world will be focused on this event, and our task is to justify such high trust," emphasized the mayor.

      "13 delegations are invited to participate in the summit"

      The decision to hold the ASEAN summit in Russia this year was made on April 21, less than two months before the event. Therefore, given the scale of the event and the level of participants, preparations are being conducted in a rather tight timeframe, said Maxim Denisov, General Director of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects. Thirteen delegations representing Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, East Timor, Russia, and the ASEAN Secretariat are invited to participate in the summit. "Eleven delegations are from ASEAN countries. Additionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry plans to invite several leaders of international organizations. This information will be available soon, pending confirmation of their participation," Denisov reported. The summit events are planned for three days:

      June 17 – arrival of heads of delegations, bilateral meetings, a formal reception, business forum;

      June 18 – main program of the summit, which will take place at "Kazan Expo";

      June 19 – departure of heads of delegations.

      "Business communities are invited to the Russia – ASEAN business forum, which will take place on June 17 at the IT Park named after Bashir Rameev. It will be held without the participation of the heads of state. In the run-up to the summit, on June 15 and 16, a meeting of senior officials of ASEAN is scheduled. These are representatives of countries, deputy foreign ministers. During these days, they will work on the business agenda and prepare a package of documents that will be discussed and signed during the summit itself," Denisov explained.

      An exhibition for summit participants will open at the Center for Unique Competence

      The main center for the summit events will be in Kazan. Preparations at key venues will begin on June 10. From this period, all agencies responsible for security will enhance their work, Denisov noted. The central venue for the summit will be "Kazan Expo," where preparations began immediately after the "Kazan Forum." Part of the infrastructure built for the economic forum will remain for the ASEAN summit. "The new Kamal Theater will be used as a venue for the formal reception on behalf of the Russian Federation. The Kazan Kremlin is expected to be used this time for bilateral meetings of state leaders," informed the general director of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects. Additionally, at the republic's suggestion, there will be an additional venue – the Center for Unique Competence. An exhibition of Tatarstan enterprises will be held there, and all delegations will be invited to visit it to get acquainted with the achievements of the republic and the city. Thirteen accommodation places with presidential-level rooms have been prepared for the delegations. A total of up to 30 hotels in Kazan are planned to be involved for forum participants and media, Denisov noted. For staff involved in the event, dormitories of federal universities are planned to be used. Therefore, the timing and format of the academic year completion will be adjusted. "Thanks to hoteliers, many updated their infrastructure, equipment, and room stock for BRICS. But this does not negate the meticulousness in preparing for the event. We always say that we organize any event as if it were the first time. As soon as we say, 'We know how to do everything,' problems start. Therefore, a detailed picture should be prepared for each hotel, down to the soap dish," added Metshin.

      "A comprehensive check of the entire tourist infrastructure has been conducted"

      Overall, the tourist and transport infrastructure of Tatarstan's capital is fully ready to receive summit participants, reported Alexander Shavliashvili, director of the Kazan Tourism Development Committee. "A comprehensive check of the entire tourist infrastructure involved in receiving summit participants has been conducted. All accommodation facilities and their adjacent territories were inspected. Following the inspections, a number of remarks requiring prompt intervention were identified. Most of the identified issues have been resolved in the shortest possible time. The hotel infrastructure is fully prepared to accommodate summit participants at a high level," he emphasized. Shavliashvili added that an inspection of transport infrastructure facilities – Kazan airport and railway station – has been conducted. Seeing a slide with buses running from the airport to the city, the mayor of Kazan inquired whether they would be replaced with more modern ones. Currently, "PAZ" buses are used on this route. The committee director replied that this issue is currently being worked on. "Guests should not see 'PAZ' buses," he noted. "This is not the case in Kazan. And the airport is located in the territory of the Laishevsky district, which is part of the republic. Colleagues from the Ministry of Transport need to pay more attention to public transport and see for themselves what buses are on the roads," said Metshin.

      "Floral decoration will cover 68 streets of the city"

      This year, large-scale road construction works worth more than 21 billion rubles are planned in Kazan, including the repair of road sections along the routes of the Russia – ASEAN summit delegations, reported Igor Kulyazhev, deputy head of the Kazan executive committee. "At the same time, it is necessary not only to renew the road surface but also to prepare accompanying road infrastructure facilities. 213 million rubles have been allocated for this. Thus, along the streets on the route of the summit guests, activities for the repair and painting of 15 retaining walls are planned. Repairs and replacement of barrier fences, elements of noise protection screens, and replacement of 12 bus stop pavilions are underway," he explained. Additionally, during the summit days, the city will be decorated with floral compositions. According to Kulyazhev, the total area of floral decoration this season will be 22,000 square meters, which is three times the volume of last year. "More than 2,000 flower pots are planned to be installed along the highways. Floral decoration will cover 68 streets of the city. To date, work has been carried out to create flower beds covering an area of 8,500 square meters, and more than a thousand flower pots have been installed," he noted.

      "Non-stationary trading facilities live in some parallel reality"

      189 routes for the movement of summit guests and more than 30 accommodation places have been checked, where 75 non-stationary trading facilities are located, stated Ruslan Fazylianov, chairman of the Kazan Consumer Market Committee. "Owners of facilities with unsatisfactory external appearance will bring them into full compliance with established standards. However, there are owners who do not take measures to eliminate violations. Contracts with them have been terminated, and work will be carried out soon to dismantle the facilities," he noted.

      Fazylianov added that a total of 50 illegal trading facilities have been dismantled as part of the summit preparations, and nine directly along the route of the guests. "Our non-stationary trading facilities live in some parallel reality. Suddenly, in the morning, some facilities can appear, some mobile shops, advertising vehicles selling something. Therefore, attention should be focused on this both in the run-up to and during the summit," emphasized Metshin.

      "A resolution has been prepared to restrict parking and vehicle movement"

      During the summit, public transport will operate according to the working day schedule. However, in the event of temporary restrictions, the public transport movement scheme may be changed. This information will be communicated to residents in a timely manner through the media, said Alexey Sidorov, chairman of the Kazan executive committee's transport committee. "A resolution of the executive committee has been prepared to restrict parking and vehicle movement, as well as individual mobility devices and courier delivery services on sections of the street and road network and event venues. These include Kazan City Hall, IT Park, Kamal Theater, Kazan Agro-Industrial Park, TSUM, Kazan Hippodrome, as well as Kazan Metro stations and accommodation places for