23 April 2010 meetings of Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage, with Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, and Mintimer, First President of the Republic of Tatarstan, were held at the Hermitage-Kazan center.

President reviewed the exhibition Art of France of the 17th 18th centuries from the collection of the State Hermitage associated with the Year of France in Russia and the Year of Russia in France. This exposition became the seventh joint project of the Hermitage and the Kazan Kremlin reserve museum.

After attending the exhibition R. Minnikhanov and M. Piotrovsky had a discussion concerning the performance of the Hermitage-Kazan center and its further development prospects. In the next two years the Hermitage is planning to arrange in Kazan the following exhibitions: World of Weaponry, Art of France of the 19th-early 20th century, Nomadic Empires of Eurasia. A special exposition Sports in Ancient Art will be prepared by the Universiade-2013.

“Everything that is done by the Hermitage-Kazan center is supported by President. Succession and President’s patronage are ensured. At our place the Hermitage is under the patronage of President of the Russian Federation. Here, it is under the patronage of President of Tatarstan,” M. Piotrovsky said.

That same day Mikhail Piotrovsky had a meeting with Mintimer Shaimiyev, First President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Counselor of State, originator of the foundation of the Hermitage-Kazan center, and Zilya Valeeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Minister of Culture. At the meeting, along with other matters, a project of the Republican fund for reviving monuments of history and culture, restoring Bolgar and Sviyazhsk, and the involvement of the State Hermitage was discussed.