OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2008. Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of the City, presented a sign of the Honorary Citizen of Kazan to Shafagat Takhautdinov, General Director of OAO Tatneft, at the ceremonial meeting at Kazan City Hall, reported the press-centre of Tatneft.
 
The title of the "Honorary Citizen of Kazan" is awarded annually to the persons by the decision of Kazan City Duma Deputies for their outstanding contribution into the development and prosperity of the city.

Accepting this award, the General Director of the Company noted that "it is an appraisal of not only my  work, but it is rather recognition of merits of the whole Tatneft Joint Stock Company staff, a sign of Kazan citizens' respect for the hard work of the oilmen. Kazan city is very dear to every citizen of our Republic, while the oilmen are proud that they always used to contribute and continue contributing into maintaining the rich historical heritage as well as into the modern development of the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan".

Thus, OAO Tatneft has become one of the main participants to implement the presidential program to eliminate dilapidated housing in Tatarstan. In a short period of time, even at the whole Russia scale, implementation of this unique program allowed to build up new urban housing estates in Kazan, tens of thousands of the Kazan citizens received comfortable new housing.

The largest in Europe Kul Sharif mosque as well as a modern hockey palace "Tatneft-arena" have been built with the financial support of the Company. The Company has also provided for financial assistance in reconstructing an architectural ensemble of the Kazan Kremlin, providing equipment and furniture for the educational buildings of the Kazan State University and in performing construction of a lot of other objects and facilities, which have become a business card of Kazan and of the entire Republic.

Today, Tatneft contributes a lot into implementation of the republican housing mortgage program. In addition, the Company is the general sponsor of one of the leading hockey clubs in Russia and Europe: Kazan Ak Bars ice hockey club.

Thanks to Tatneft the club has one of the best in world sports training base, where all the conditions have been created  for living and improving the skills for the leading hockey players as well as for the students of  Kazan hockey school for children.

The General Director of Tatneft reported that the Company will contribute to the preparation of the city for the World Students summer games of 2013.

Shafagat Takhautdinov donated the monetary reward attached to the title of the Honorary Citizen of Kazan to the department of the newborn pathology of the Municipal Children's Hospital No. 1 in Kazan.