Staff at the World Congress of Tatars heartily congratulates Mintimer Sharipovich on happy birthday!

We wish good health and success in all undertakings!

Biography:

Mintimer Shaimiev was born on January 20, 1937, in the village of Anyakovo, Aktanysh region, into the family of peasants. His grandfather Shaimukhammet was a prosperous peasant of average means. During the years of collectivization he was dispossessed and the family had to move from one place to another. His father, Shagisharip aga Shaimiev, devoted all his life to agriculture for 26 years being a collective farm chairman. In 1954, he finished school and entered Kazan Institute of Agriculture. After he graduated from the faculty of mechanization of Kazan Institute of Agriculture (1959), he worked in mechanization of agriculture field.

1969–1983 – Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (TASSR). 1983 – First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the TASSR. 1983-1985 – Secretary of the Tatar Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). 1985-1989 – Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. 1989-1990 – First Secretary of the Tatar Oblast Committee of the CPSU. In 1990, Mintimer Shaimiev was elected Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The same year, the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The multinational people of Tatarstan highly estimated 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). 1994-2001 – member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. March 25, 2005, upon submission of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the State Council of the

Republic of Tatarstan conferred authority of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan on Mintimer Shaimiev. Member of the Presidium of the RF State Council since May 2009 (member of the Presidium of the RF State Council 2000-2001). Since December 1, 2001 – Co-chairman of the Higher Council of the United Russia party. The term of office of President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev ended on March 25, 2010. On April 21, 2010 Mintimer Shaimiev was appointed State Counselor of the Republic of Tatarstan. From April 2010 – Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the nonprofit organization “The Republican Foundation for the Revival of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Tatarstan”. Member of the Russian Council for Public Television. Member of the Russian Historical Society.

State awards: Order of Lenin (1966) Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971) Order of the October Revolution (1976) Order of Friendship of Peoples (1987) Order of Merits for the Fatherland 2nd class (1997) Order of Merits for the Fatherland 1st class (2007) Order of Merits for the Fatherland 3rd class (2010) Order of Merits for the Fatherland 4th class (2014) Order of Merits for the Republic of Tatarstan (2010)

Medals Certificate of Honour of the Government of the Russian Federation (1997, 2007, 2008) Certificate of Honour of the President of the Russian Federation (2008)

Public awards and titles: Member of Honour of the Presidium of the International Parliament of the World Confederation of Knights operating under the UN auspices; Academician of the Academy of Technological Sciences of the Russian Federation; the Honorary Academician of the International Informatization Academy; Member of the International Academy of Regional Development and Cooperation; Honorary Professor of Moscow State Institute of International Relations under the RF MFA. Laureate of: International Kul Gali Prize of the Tatar people (1994 г.); Prize of Union of journalists of the Russian Federation “For openness in relations with the Press” (1997); 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 (1997); National theatrical “Golden Mask” prize of the RF in the nomination “For support to theatrical art of Russia” in 1997-98. In June 2001, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura awarded Mintimer Shaimiev a silver Avitsenna medal for great contribution to preservation of cultural and historic values. In 2001, he was a laureate of the Russian National Olympus Prize as the President of the Year and received the Order of Honour and Valour of the Russian National Olympus Prize in 2004. February 2004, he received the order of the Republic of Abkhazia “Ahdz-Apsha of the second degree”. March 2005, he was awarded a diploma and the Russia-

UNESCO commemorative medal for his personal contribution to cooperation between the Russian Federation and UNESCO. June 2005 – Order of Honour “Al-Fahr” 1st class. July 2005 – Order of St. Sergey Radonezhsky of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1st class. 2005 – Order of Minin and Pozharsky “Glorifying Russia”, laureate of the State Prize of Peace and Progress of the First President of Kazakhstan, Honorary Citizen of Kazan. 2007 – Laureate of the King Faisal International Prize, Honorary Citizen of the Republic of Altai. 2008 – Olympic Order (for the outstanding contribution to the development of the Olympic movement). 2010 – Оrder of Friendship of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 1st class.

Married, wife Sakina Shaimieva. 2 sons, Radik Shaimiev and Airat Shaimiev.