Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko has arrived in Kazan to personally congratulate the first President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev on his 85th birthday and present him with a commemorative medal. This was reported on Thursday by the press service of the president of the republic.
"From 1994 to 2000 you were a member of the Federation Council. It was a new upper house, which was just being established. And the heads of the regions, the chairmen of the legislative assemblies, who were then members of the Federation Council, set the tone for the upper house of the Federal Assembly as a chamber of the regions. We remember this. I sincerely thank you for everything you have done," Matvienko said at the meeting with Shaimiev.
She also presented Shaimiev with a commemorative medal for the 25th anniversary of the Federation Council.
The State Duma Council decided to award the first president of the republic with a certificate of honor. Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin noted that Shaimiev's contribution to the development of Tatarstan deserves respect. "Largely thanks to your authority, professionalism and experience in Tatarstan conditions for solving social and economic problems and improving the quality of life of people have been created. The region has achieved significant success and continues to build its potential," Volodin said on the website of the State Duma.
In addition, representatives of the region's clergy congratulated Shaimiev on his anniversary. "The Mufti of Tatarstan and the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan were among the first to come to congratulate the State Counselor. They thanked Mintimer Shaimiev for his invaluable contribution to heritage preservation. Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan read out a congratulatory message on behalf of His Holiness the Patriarch. And the Mufti of Tatarstan presented the Marjani Order," the press service reported.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted the merits of Shaimiev in creating conditions for the peaceful existence of people of different cultures and religions. "Today the republic is a prosperous region with good neighborly relations of different nationalities and religious beliefs. I am grateful to you for your assistance in rebuilding the historic Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which I had the opportunity to consecrate last year," says the congratulatory message read by Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan.
Congratulations from the government
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin also arrived in Kazan to deliver congratulations on behalf of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the press service of the Tatarstan head said. First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergei Kirienko and Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative Igor Komarov also came to Kazan to extend congratulations. Alexei Kudrin, Chairman of the Russian Audit Chamber, also congratulated Shaimiev on his jubilee.
About Shaimiev
On January 20, 2022, Shaimiev will turn 85 years old. The first president of the Republic of Tatarstan, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, was born on January 20, 1937, in the village of Anyakovo, Aktanyshsky District, Tatar ASSR (now the Republic of Tatarstan). He was first elected to the post of the head of the republic on June 12, 1991, with 70.6 % of the vote (the elections were held on a non-alternative basis). He held this post until 2010. In February 2010, Shaimiev became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Republican Fund for Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Tatarstan (the Vozrozhdenie (Revival) Fund), established on his initiative. He is the State Advisor of Tatarstan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan
Based on materials from TASS