Baku, May 16, AZERTAC

The 10th OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum has kicked off in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, organized by the Eurasian Regional Center of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC), the Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, the "Selet" Youth Foundation of Tatarstan, and the Academy of Youth Diplomacy, in partnership with Sabah.Hub and Kazan IT Park, and other organizations.

At the opening ceremony, Rinat Sadykov, Minister of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, Elchin Asgarov, Chair of the Board of the ICYF-ERC, Taha Ayhan, President of the ICYF, and Timur Suleymanov, Assistant to the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, along with representatives of various international organizations and state officials, delivered congratulatory speeches, wishing success to the participants and emphasizing the increasingly tangible results of such events.

For the 10th consecutive year, the main goal of the Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum is to support newly created startup projects within the OIC region and stimulate the activities of young entrepreneurs.

During the opening ceremony, Elchin Asgarov expressed pride in the nearly decade-long collaboration with the government of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the "Selet" Youth Foundation, highlighting the importance of the Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum and the value of its work in stimulating startup projects authored by young businesspeople and ensuring their sustainability.

At the end of the opening ceremony, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the ICYF-ERC and the Ministry of Youth Affairs of Tatarstan. The memorandum was signed by Elchin Asgarov, Chair of the Board of the ICYF-ERC, and Rinat Sadykov, Minister of Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan. The memorandum outlines the obligations of the parties regarding the organization of the Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum and future projects. Additionally, the memorandum stipulates that the ICYF-ERC will provide support to the Ministry of Youth Affairs of Tatarstan in various activities and collaborate on the joint implementation of pertinent projects in the field of youth work within the OIC Eurasian region.

Within the Forum, 150 startup projects from 45 OIC countries were presented to a commission formed by an expert group. 30 startups, distinguished by their creativity, innovation, and potential impact, were selected. To ensure their sustainability, the selected startups will receive support in networking and mentorship. The 10th Kazan OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum is held as part of the 15th International Economic Forum "Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum," and will continue until May 18.