At the World Council of the organization United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) held in the Turkish city of Konya, the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, met with Bernadia Irawati, Secretary General of UCLG Asia-Pacific, and Dong Yan, Deputy Chair of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The international partners expressed their support for the creation of the BRICS Cities Association. Kazan Deputy Mayor Evgenia Lodvigova also took part in the meeting.
Bernadia Irawati proposed that not only cities but also municipalities be included in the association. In her view, this would allow both large and small cities to contribute to economic, social, and cultural development.
Dong Yan stated that he would explore the idea of creating the association with representatives of cities in the People’s Republic of China. He believes that the new alliance would help strengthen partnerships and establish sister-city relations between municipalities, ultimately playing a significant role in building a sustainably developed world.