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 Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of ...

in the southern European part of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

from 2001 to 2015.

Biography

Tkachov was born in 1960 in Vyselki,

. 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. The ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' describes him as one of

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

's "most loyal lieutenants". Tkachyov has been an advocate for building a dam across the

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west f ...

, between Krasnodar Krai and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. 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. Tkachyov has vowed to drive "the aliens and dissenters" out of his region. 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. On 2 August 2012, Tkachyov announced plans to deploy a paramilitary force of Cossacks in Krasnodar Krai beginning in September 2012 as

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

s 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." On July 26, 2014, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, and

added Tkachev to their sanctions lists. On 22 April 2015,

named him as the

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

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. 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. 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.

Awards and honours

In 2014, Tkachov was awarded the

Paralympic Order The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games. Motto The Paralympic motto is "Spirit in Motion". The motto was introduced in 2004 at the Paralympic Games in ...

Photos

Image:Dmitry Medvedev 22 August 2008-1.jpg, Tkachyov at a meeting with then-President Dmitry Medvedev, 2008 File:Tkachev Putin.jpeg,

with Tkachyov at the ski resort

Krasnaya Polyana Krasnaya Polyana (russian: Кра́сная Поля́на) meaning "Red Meadow" is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia: Modern localities Amur Oblast As of 2012, one rural locality in Amur Oblast bears this name: * Krasnaya Polya ...

, Sochi,

, 3 January 2013 File:Direct Line with Vladimir Putin (2014-04-17) 14.jpeg, Tkachyov and

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...

References

External links

No opponent in re-election bid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tkachov, Alexander 1960 births United Russia politicians 21st-century Russian politicians Governors of Krasnodar Krai Agriculture ministers of Russia Our Home – Russia politicians 20th-century Russian politicians People from Vyselkovsky District Living people Recipients of the Paralympic Order Second convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Third convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Russian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions