Vladimir Putin Presented Sergei Shoigu with a Stone Figure of a Rider on Horse-back

Sergei Shoigu, federal minister for Emergency and Civil Defence, is celebrating his 50th jubileum. Born in the city of Chadan in a family of the party leader Sergei has always striven to avoid the status of the son of the influential person. That is why after leaving school he went to Krasnoyarsk where the name of his father Kuzhuget Shoigu meant nothing. He made a splendid carreer in the construction business there and when Boris Yeltsin being 'repressed' after the Party Congress came to head the State Construction Committee in late 80-ties he invited the young man to be his assistant. Then an idea to create a new structure dealing with the emergency situations came to his mind and he appointed Sergei Shoigu the head of the project. Since that time on Shoigu has been in the lead of the Emergency Ministry and has often personally been in the hottest points where the help of the rescue teams was needed. Today he is the 'oldest' member of the Russian Government and Vladimir Putin has congratulated him on the occasion presenting him with the stone-figure of the rider on horse-back reminding him of their joint travel to Tuva, the fact hardly known to anyone. Tuva being proud of its son is getting ready for the festivities devoted to Shoigu's birthday which will take place in the republic May, 26-28