Mintimer Shaeymiev
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Mintimer Şäymiev is the first president of Tatarstan. He was born in Russia, Tatarstan, in Aqtanış Rayon.
Mintimer Şärip ulı Şäymiev [meen-tee-MEH-rr sha-REEP oo-le shay-MEE-yef] (Cyrillic: Минтимер Шәрип улы Шәймиев; also transliterated from Russian as Mintimer Sharipovich Shaimiev - Минтимер Шарипович Шаймиев) was born on January 20, 1937, in the village of Änäk of the Aqtanış Rayon in the family of peasants. His grandfather Şähimoxammät was a strong prosperous peasant of average means. During the years of collectivization he was dispossessed and the family had to move from one place to another. Father of Mintimer-äfände - Şärip (Şärifulla) ağa Şäymiev spent all his life working in agriculture (for 26 years he was a collective farm chairman).
The years of Mintimer’s childhood coincided with hard time of the World War II and the post-war years. He demonstrated the leader’s qualities already at that time.
The future President of Tatarstan was a recognized authority among children of his age. He was a class monitor during all school years. In 1954, he left school and entered the department of mechanization of the Kazan Institute of Agriculture. As a student, he was a combine operator in the Pavlodar region during the harvesting.
After graduating from the Institute in 1959, he was first an engineer and then a chief engineer of the Möslim repair and service station. In the age of 25 he was appointed manager of the Minzälä regional branch of "Selkhoztekhnika".
In 1967, he started administrative career first as an instructor and then as a deputy head of the department of agriculture of Tatar Oblast Committee of the CPSU.
In 1969, Mintimer Şäymiev was appointed Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources of Tatarstan. It was the time of active irrigation works in the republic, expansion of culturally irrigated pastures and increase of a number of vegetable-growing farms with artificial irrigation.
In 1983, M. Şäymiev became First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and later worked as the Secretary of Tatar Oblast Committee of the CPSU for two years. He met the period of deep changes in the society in 1985, being one of the republican leaders: from 1985 he worked as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and in 1989 - First Secretary of Tatarstan Oblast Committee of the CPSU.
In 1990, M. Şäymiev was elected the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. That was the turning point in relations with the Federal Center - the year when the Supreme Soviet adopted the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The new status of the republic called for creation of a new institute of Presidency. Thus, in 1991, Mintimer Ş. Şäymiev was elected first President of the Republic of Tatarstan as a result of free alternative elections.
The multinational people of Tatarstan highly appreciated the efforts of the first President aimed at strengthening peace and unity in the republic and solving complicated socio-economic problems.
He was re-elected President of the Republic of Tatarstan twice (on March 24, 1996 and March 25, 2001).
In 1994-2001, Mintimer Şäymiev was a member of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Co-chairman of the Higher Council of the "United Russia" party.
Mintimer Şäymiev is a member of the RF State Council (member of Presidium of the RF State Council from September 2000 till March 2001); an honorary member of Presidium of the International Parliament of the World Confederation of Knights operating under the auspices of UN; an Academician of the Academy of Technological Sciences of the Russian Federation; the Honorary Academician of the International Informatization Academy; an Honorary Professor of Moscow State Institute of International Relations under MFA RF; a laureate of the International Prize of the Tatar people named after Qol-Ğäli; a laureate of the Prize of Union of journalists of the Russian Federation "For the openness in communication with the Press"; a laureate of the national "Silver Archer" prize in the field of developing links with the public, established by Union of journalists, RF Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Russian Association for public relations; a laureate of the national theatre "Golden Mask" prize of RF in the nomination "For support to theatre art of Russia" in 1997-98. In 1998, International Biographical Center of Cambridge (England) awarded Mintiner Şäymiev with the title of "International Man of the Year 1997/98". In June 2001, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura awarded Mintimer Şäymiev with a silver Avicenna medal for great contribution in preservation of cultural and historic values.
The informal name of MIntimer Şäymıev is Babay, Tatar for Grandpa.
State awards:
- Order of Lenin (1966)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1971)
- Order of October Revolution (1976)
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1987)
- Order "For Services to the Fatherland" of the II grade (1997)
medals
- Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation (1997)
Links:
Tatarstan President`s Official Site (http://tatar.ru/president/index_e.htm)