Irina Bokova announced Mintimer Shaimiev UNESCO Special envoy for intercultural dialogue

On August 21, at a solemn ceremony of the presentation of the certificate of inscription of the Dormition Cathedral and Monastery of the island town of Sviyazhsk to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova announced the decision to award State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Board of trustees of the Revival Foundation Mintimer Shaimiev a title of UNESCO Special envoy for intercultural dialogue.

“Your activity gave me arguments and I made the decision to invite you to be UNESCO Special envoy for intercultural dialogue a few weeks ago. I see our common commitment to intercultural dialogue. You took an active part in the inscription of Bolgar historical and archeological complex and the island town of Sviyazhsk to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Today I saw how reverently you treat all parts of the Dormition Cathedral, make experts, people, and general public respect cultural heritage. It is very important for us.  I think you personify Tatarstan and those values that people share here, in the Russian Federation. These values are tolerance, intercultural dialogue, and respect to other people. As the first president of the republic from 1991 to 2010, and now as the State Counsellor you worked for many years to make Tatarstan a developed republic. I think you have got many ideas and much energy that you should share with us, Russia and Tatarstan, as well as with the whole world,” Irina Bokova said.