Alexander Tkachov (politician)

Aleksandr Nikolayevich Tkachov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Ткачёв; born 23 December 1960) is a Russian politician who has served as Minister of Agriculture of Russia in Dmitry Medvedev's Cabinet from April 2015 to May 2018. Previously he was Governor of Krasnodar Krai in the southern European part of Russia from 2001 to 2015.

Aleksandr Nikolayevich Tkachov
Александр Николаевич Ткачёв
Minister of Agriculture
In office
22 April 2015 – 7 May 2018
PresidentVladimir Putin
Prime MinisterDmitry Medvedev
Preceded byNikolay Fyodorov
Succeeded byDmitry Patrushev
6th Governor of Krasnodar Krai
In office
5 January 2001 – 22 April 2015
Preceded byNikolai Kondratenko
Succeeded byVeniamin Kondratyev
Deputy of the State Duma
from Krasnodar Krai
In office
17 December 1995 – 5 January 2001
ConstituencyTikhoretsk
Personal details
Born (1960-12-23) 23 December 1960
Vyselki, Krasnodar Krai, Russian SFSR, USSR
Political partyUnited Russia
Other political
affiliations		Communist Party of the Russian Federation
SpouseOlga Tkachyova
ChildrenTatiana
Lyubov
Alma materKrasnodar Polytechnic Institute
Kuban State Agrarian University
ProfessionMechanical engineer

Biography

Tkachov was born in 1960 in Vyselki, Krasnodar Krai. He was elected to Krasnodar Krai's legislative assembly in 1994. Subsequently, he was elected to the State Duma of Russia in 1995 and re-elected in 1999. He was elected as Governor of Krasnodar Krai on 3 December 2000, and was re-elected on 14 March 2004. He is a graduate of the Krasnodar Polytechnic Institute.[1] The Financial Times describes him as one of Vladimir Putin's "most loyal lieutenants".[2]

Tkachyov has been an advocate for building a dam across the Kerch Strait, between Krasnodar Krai and Ukraine.[3] Tkachyov is also known for his strong stand against illegal immigration in Russia. Some commentators interpret his remarks as racist, particularly against the Meskhetian Turks.[4]

Tkachyov has vowed to drive "the aliens and dissenters" out of his region.[5]

In 2008, he made headlines when he expressed his frustration about the progress of the construction projects for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Arguing that construction bosses and local politicians were "careless" and "indifferent" about the task ahead, he warned that the successful Olympics bid may be transferred to another part of Russia if no significant changes were made, which would result in the region foregoing a large economic opportunity.[6]

On 2 August 2012, Tkachyov announced plans to deploy a paramilitary force of Cossacks in Krasnodar Krai beginning in September 2012 as vigilantes to discourage internal immigration by Muslim Russians. In a speech to police he stated, "What you can't do, the Cossacks can. We have no other way — we shall stamp it out, instill order; we shall demand paperwork and enforce migration policies."[7]

On 22 April 2015, Vladimir Putin named him as the Minister of Agriculture in Dmitry Medvedev's Cabinet, replacing Nikolay Fyodorov, who was promoted to work in the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

In October 2017, Putin laughed off his proposal of exporting pork to Indonesia during a cabinet meeting, a predominantly Muslim country where people do not consume pork.[8] Putin explained to the minister that "Indonesia is a Muslim country hence its people do not eat pork." Tkachov replied “they will.” Putin then said: “No, they will not.” Later he burst into laughter and Tkachov clarified that he meant South Korea rather than Indonesia.[9] Contrary to Putin's remarks, pork is widely consumed by more than 34 million non-Muslim Indonesians. Indonesia imported more than one million tons of pork in 2017.[10]

Sanctions

On July 26, 2014, the European Union, Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, and Ukraine added Tkachev to their sanctions lists.[11][12]

Sanctioned by the UK government in 2014 in relation to Russo-Ukrainian War.[13]

Awards and honours

In 2014, Tkachov was awarded the Paralympic Order.[14]

Photos

References
  1. "Russia Profile - BackGround People - TKACHEV, Alexander Nikolayevich". russiaprofile.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-13.
  2. Jack Farchy; et al. (18 December 2014). "Vladimir Putin predicts Russian rebound to take 2 years". ft.com. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  3. "Pravda.RU Governor of Krasnodar territory wants to complete building the dam in Kerch strait". Archived from the original on 2005-12-05. Retrieved 2006-02-14.
  4. "FSU Monitor". fsumonitor.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-08.
  5. Gurin, Charles (2004-10-27), Russian media mulls growing ethnic intolerance. Eurasia Daily Monitor, Volume 1, Issue 114.
  6. "Sochi's mixed feelings over Olympics". BBC. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  7. Ellen Barry (3 August 2012). "Russian Governor Signs Up Cossacks to Police Migrants". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  8. "Asia Briefs: Export pork to Indonesia? Putin gets a good laugh". The Straits Times. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  9. "Putin bursts into laughter after 'pork exports to Indonesia' gaffe". 15 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  10. "Russia's plan to sell pork to Indonesia is no joke". 23 November 2017.
  11. "Russian agriculture minister granted entry to France despite sanctions". Reuters. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  12. "Alexander Nikolayevich TKACHYOV". opensanctions.org. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  13. "CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  14. "The Paralympic Order". Paralympic Movement. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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