Rasikh Sagitov, Regional Coordinator of the OWHC Secretariat for Euro-Asia, took part in the Izmir Culture Summit held in the city of Izmir on September 7-12, 2021. He delivered a speech about the role of heritage in the municipal movement and presented OWHC’s projects.

During the Summit, Rasikh Sagitov held a series of negotiations with representatives of World Heritage cities. He met with Vugar Iskanderov, Deputy of Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan (from the Sheki Municipality), and discussed with him the involvement of the Sheki Municipality in the OWHC’s activities.

Oleg Smakotin, Head of the Yekateringofsky Municipal District of St. Petersburg, told Rasikh Sagitov about the history and heritage of his district and underlined the importance of the work in the frames of OWHC. The Regional Coordinator also had a talk with Leonid Kondrashev, Chief Archielogist of Moscow, President of ICOMOS-Russia.

During the special meeting, Rasikh Sagitov invited Tunc Soyer, Mayor of Izmir, to join OWHC and wished him success in including the historical center of Izmir in the UNESCO List. Following the Summit, Rasikh Sagitov visited historical sites of Izmir, which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

It should be noted that Evgeniya Lodvigova, Vice-Mayor of Kazan, presented a report dedicated to the heritage preservation in Kazan and announced the 45^th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will take place in Kazan on June 19-30, 2022.