Congratulation from Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov to the State Counselor of the republic and its First President Mintimer Shaymiyev on the occasion of his 85-th birthday

Dear Mintimer Sharipovich!

Your bright life filled with heroic deeds is an example of selfless labour and dedicated service to the Motherland.

You became the head of Tatarstan at the turning period of social-economic and public-political transformations. In this difficult time your wise and balanced policy made it possible to go through the abyss of problems and challenges and to preserve the potential capacities worked out by previous generations. A set of social and economic programs due to which Tatarstan has become one of the leading and dynamically developing regions of the Russian Federation was implemented under your supervision.

You are one of the architects of the Tatarstan statehood model and have made a great contribution into development of statehood of the modern Russia and strengthening the basis for its federalism and democracy. You are a persistent supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin in strengthening the might of our Motherland.

Having established a constructive dialogue of all civic society institutions, you have ensured the inter-ethnic and inter-confessional peace and concord which has become a competitive advantage of Tatarstan and a guaranty of its attractiveness.

I am happy that you go on taking active part in the social and political life of the republic, at the same time remaining an open and a sympathetic person with pro-active approach to life.

From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you, Mintimer Sharipovich, with your jubilee and wish you good health and long, active and creative life!

President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.