Primakov Evgeniy Maksimovich (1929-2015) - Russian statesman and political figure, economist, orientalist. In the government of the Russian Federation he held the positions of chairman and minister of foreign affairs. He headed the Central Intelligence Service in the Soviet Union and the foreign intelligence service in Russia. He had the academic titles of professor and doctor of economic sciences. From 2001 to 2011 he headed the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

Parents and family

Evgeniy was born in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on October 29, 1929. When the boy was three months old, his mother moved with him to Tiflis, where her relatives lived. Children's and teenage years future politician.

His mother, Anna Yakovlevna Primakova, born in 1896, had the profession of obstetrician-gynecologist. In Kyiv she worked at the Railway Hospital. When I moved with my little son to Tiflis, I got a job at a spinning and knitting mill in the antenatal clinic.

Evgeniy did not know his dad and had never seen him. IN mature age in his autobiographical materials, Primakov wrote that his father, whose last name was Nemchenko, left Anna Yakovlevna with her newly born son, and in 1937 he was repressed and disappeared in the Gulag. Evgeniy bore his mother’s surname all his life.

My maternal grandmother was of Jewish origin. Her father was wealthy and owned a mill, but against her parents’ will she married a simple Russian man, Yakov Primakov. They lived in Tiflis, Yakov worked in Turkey as a road construction contractor, but died at a young age in a clash with Kurdish robbers.

Evgeniy with his mother

Childhood and adolescence

Evgeniy spent his childhood in a small room (14 m2) in a communal apartment without amenities. Adolescence coincided with the Great Patriotic War. But, despite the difficulties of that time, the boy was always well-fed, clothed and shod. Mom tried to provide everything for her only son, worked two jobs, disappeared there all day, and Zhenya was left to his own devices, wandering around the streets with the guys. Nevertheless, he studied well at school, especially in mathematical sciences and languages. But the guy was not interested in sports and was not in good health.

In 1944, having completed seven years of high school, Primakov decided to receive further education in Baku at the Naval Preparatory School. But after two courses, due to health reasons, he was expelled from the ranks of the cadets; doctors diagnosed Zhenya with the initial stage of tuberculosis. I had to return to my home school at my desk to receive a certificate of secondary education.

Mom made every effort to ensure that her son was cured of tuberculosis. In 1948, he successfully graduated from Tbilisi Men's Secondary School No. 14.

Thanks to his good certificate and knowledge, Primakov entered the prestigious Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow on the first try. In 1953 he received a diploma in the specialty “country studies in Arab countries”.

He continued his studies at Moscow State University in graduate school at the Faculty of Economics, which he also successfully graduated in 1956. Three years later he defended his dissertation and became a candidate of economic sciences.

Labor path

My labor activity Primakov started at the Main Directorate of Radio Broadcasting at foreign countries in Arabic edition. His career developed rapidly and successfully:

• correspondent;
• executive editor;
• deputy editor-in-chief;
• Chief Editor.

In 1962, he moved to the position of literary employee at the Pravda newspaper, writing reviews and articles in the department of Asian and African countries.

In 1965, he was sent to the Middle East as a correspondent for the newspaper Pravda. He lived in Cairo for four years, during which time he met many eastern politicians.

Primakov worked in the field of journalism until the spring of 1970, until he received an offer to take the position of first deputy director at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. Here he devoted himself to scientific work, defended his dissertation on “Social and Economic Development of Egypt”, and received a Doctor of Economics degree.

In 1977 he took the position of director of the Institute of Oriental Studies.

Policy

In the late 1980s, on the eve of the collapse Soviet Union, Evgeniy Maksimovich began to rapidly move up the political ladder.

He began with membership in the political bureau of the CPSU Central Committee. Less than a year had passed since he was elected to the Presidential Council and took part in resolving many serious conflicts and situations.

In 1991 (after the putsch) he headed the Foreign Intelligence Council of the USSR, and then Russia.
In 1996, he was appointed to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and achieved brilliant success in the world political arena. Thanks to Primakov, negotiations with representatives of Middle Eastern countries were successfully held. His merit was in obtaining many loans totaling $3 billion, which were so necessary for Russia at that moment. He initiated the proposal to strengthen cooperation between Russia, China and India, which later became the basis of BRICS. Many diplomats note that while working in this post, Primakov restored dignity to the Russian diplomatic service.

In September 1998, Russian President Boris Yeltsin nominated Primakov for the post of Prime Minister of the country. The majority in the State Duma, including the opposition, voted for him communist party. In this position, Yevgeny Maksimovich acted as the highest professional; due to Yeltsin’s illness, he independently conducted many negotiations, meetings and receptions with representatives of European countries.

The most famous event associated with Primakov received a common name in politics - “The U-turn over the Atlantic.” In March 1999, he went to the United States on an official visit. During the flight, I learned that NATO had decided to bomb Yugoslavia. He immediately gave the order to turn around the letter board, which was already in the sky above Atlantic Ocean. This event in world history became the “beginning of the revival Russian statehood" Yevgeny Maksimovich was the first to demonstrate to the whole world that Russia will not allow anyone to talk to it from a position of strength.

In 2001, Primakov was elected President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. He worked in this position until 2011.

For achievements in government and political activity, many memoirs and monographs written, Primakov was awarded:

• Orders of Honor, Red Banner of Labor, Alexander Nevsky, Friendship of Peoples, “For Services to the Fatherland” I, II, III degrees;
• USSR State Prize;
• State Prize of the Russian Federation;
• Certificate of Honor from the Government of the Russian Federation;
• Commemorative medal of A. M. Gorchakov of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation;
• Big gold medal named after Lomonosov Russian Academy Sci.

Personal life

In his personal life, Evgeniy Maksimovich had to experience both great happiness and unbearable grief.

Evgeniy, his first wife Laura and their children Sasha and Nana

Despite his rapid career and professional success, family always came first for Primakov. He married early, at twenty-two, while still a graduate student. His life partner was Laura Vasilyevna Kharadze, born in 1930, the adopted daughter of NKVD General Mikhail Gvishiani. At the time of the wedding, Laura was a student at the Georgian Polytechnic Institute. With Evgeniy Maksimovich they became not just spouses, but real friends.

Everyone who knew Laura remembers her as a charming woman, the best mother and a wonderful, hospitable hostess. She was very friendly, cooked deliciously, and played the piano superbly. The Primakovs lived an interesting and cheerful life; many guests always gathered in their house.

In 1954, the couple had a son, Alexander. He was educated at MGIMO, interned in America, and became a graduate student at the Institute of Oriental Studies.

In January 1962, a girl, Nana, was born into the family. She received the profession of a teacher-defectologist. She works as a psychologist, is married, and has two daughters, Alexandra (1982) and Maria (1997).

The first terrible tragedy happened to the Primakovs in 1981, when their son Sasha died of a heart attack (he suffered from myocarditis). For two years, Evgeniy Maksimovich came to the cemetery in the morning, sat on the grave, and only after that went to work. His wife, daughter and grandchildren helped him survive.

Yevgeny Primakov with his grandson, journalist Yevgeny Sandro

In 1987, grief repeated itself, again terrible myocarditis took away Primakov’s loved one - this time his wife Laura. Work helped me get through the grief. Again, the daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter Sashenka and grandson Zhenya (son of Alexander) were nearby. Evgeny followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, became a journalist, orientalist, and hosts the “International Review” program on the Rossiya-24 television channel (known to viewers under the pseudonym Evgeny Sandro).

Seven years after Laura left, Evgeniy Maksimovich married the therapist Irina Borisovna Bokareva for the second time. She was his attending physician, and became a reliable support; together they walked hand in hand until the politician’s death.

Illness and death

In 2014, Primakov was diagnosed with liver cancer and was operated on in Milan. He underwent further treatment at the Blokhin Russian Cancer Center.
On June 26, 2015, the politician’s heart stopped, he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Despite his strict appearance, in life Evgeniy Maksimovich was a cheerful, sincere and cheerful person, he wrote lyrical poems, knew many jokes and loved feasts. All his friends noted that it is rare in life to meet an example of such comradely loyalty.

Death of son and wife

Few people know Yevgeny Primakov deeply, only those who are part of his close circle of friends. Although gloomy in appearance, he is in reality a cheerful, sincere, cheerful person. He writes good lyrical poetry, loves a feast, knows many jokes and remains faithful to his comrades.

He did a lot of things as if playfully. I defended my dissertations without intending to devote myself entirely to science, but it turned out that my academic career became my main one. He left the scientific institute, not expecting that he would eventually occupy major positions in the government and eventually head the cabinet of ministers.

The apparent ease of a career is evidence of many talents, although in any career there is also an element of chance, or rather, luck. But in his personal life he experienced a real tragedy - he lost his wife and son. For a person of his type, his Tbilisi upbringing, this loss is unbearable. But Primakov never complains, does not show how hard it is for him, and does not fall into depression.

But the most important thing in life, despite his career and professional successes, for him was family. He married early, but over the years his feelings with Laura Vasilievna Kharadze did not fade away at all. They were not only husband and wife, but also friends, complementing each other. They gave birth to two children - a son and a daughter: Alexander Primakov and Nana Primakova.

“Sasha was an amazing boy,” recalled Thomas Kolesnichenko. – For me this is ideal. I don’t have such children, and I haven’t seen them with anyone. He went to Evgeniy Maksimovich. Sasha Primakov came to New York for an internship, and I worked there as a correspondent for Pravda. Just at this moment I had a conflict with one of our local bosses. The first deputy representative of the USSR to the UN was Mikhail Averkievich Kharlamov. He did something wrong, I don’t remember, but I was offended by him.

And Sasha Primakov was supposed to go to Kharlamov with some material. He announced to Thomas Kolesnichenko:

- Uncle Tom, I won’t go to him.

In Tbilisi, it is customary to call a father's friend uncle.

- What are you talking about? – Kolesnichenko was surprised. - Why don’t you go?

- He offended you!

– What do you have to do with this? You go, you have something to do.

Sasha shook his head.

“I’m a clan man,” the younger Primakov said firmly, “I won’t go to him...

Fatherly character.

“You know, when people find themselves abroad, they have something to do, so many temptations,” Kolesnichenko recalled. – And Sasha came to me after work, because he lived far away, sat in my office and worked. I sat and wrote until the evening. He would, of course, go far. This was an extraordinary guy.

He was in graduate school. He was offered to go to Cairo as a correspondent and to go into science. But this was not destined to happen. Sasha Primakov passed away as a very young man, suddenly, in the arms of friends.

“This is one of the darkest days of my life,” says Valentin Zorin. – Sasha Primakov was my graduate student. Three graduate students went on duty on a holiday - it was the first of May 1981. Beautiful spring day. Suddenly Sasha grabbed his comrades by the hands and said: I’m dying. And he died instantly.

My heart couldn’t stand it, just like my mother’s, Laura… Apparently, something like that was inherited from her mother. Sasha Primakov was only twenty-seven years old.

“Vitaly Zhurkin, the future academician and director of the Institute of Europe, was the first to know about Sasha’s death,” recalled Leon Onikov. “Zhurkin called me, and together we took Sasha’s wife to the hospital, knowing that he had already died, and on the way we tried with all our might not to tell her about it ahead of time.

Sasha Primakov suffered from heart disease, but he died so unexpectedly that no one was prepared for this and did not think that this could happen.

– Did Sasha’s heart disease appear suddenly? – I asked Onikov.

– Our mutual friend, academician of medicine Volodya Burakovsky, once told me: Sasha will die unexpectedly. And so it happened.

When this happened, Primakov was on a business trip in Mexico. Valentin Zorin, with the help of the embassy, ​​found him at the hotel and said:

– Do what you want, but tomorrow you must be in Moscow.

– He asked what happened?

- No, but I probably guessed...

His friends met him at the gangway. He came down all white, and they told him:

- Sasha is no more.

Vladimir Ivanovich Burakovsky also came to meet him at the airport. He ordered an ambulance.

Thomas Kolesnichenko:

“So they were driving from the airport in a car, and behind them” ambulance“to help Zhenya if he gets sick.

Valentin Zorin:

“In a semi-conscious state, we took him home, where his son’s body lay... This is what befell him.” Zhenya experienced this very terribly. If it were not for his daughter and grandchildren, he would not have endured such grief.

Thomas Kolesnichenko:

“He loved the boy very much.” It was a terrible tragedy. For him it is still a tragedy. And at that time there was nothing to say: unbearable grief. We still go to Sasha’s grave, we don’t forget.

People around Primakov learned about this tragic story and understood what Yevgeny Maksimovich was going through.

Alexey Malashenko, Doctor of Historical Sciences, employee of the Institute of Oriental Studies:

“I remember that just after the death of his son, an academic council was appointed at our institute. Everyone gathered, and there was dead silence. The venerable scientists sat and did not know how to express their sympathy. But Primakov behaved remarkably well; he did not show with any gesture or word how he felt now.

Thomas Kolesnichenko:

– He continued to work. Yes, this is Zhenya’s will. He goes to work, he saves himself by work.

Valentin Zorin:

– Two years after Sasha’s death, Primakov began his working day by driving to the cemetery in the morning and sitting at his son’s grave for an hour, and then driving to work...

The death of his son was the first of two tragedies that befell Primakov.

Everyone who knew Laura Vasilyevna Primakova retained the best memories of her. A charming woman, a wonderful mother and a skilled housewife. She cooked amazingly, was hospitable and friendly. She played the piano wonderfully. And everything worked out easily and simply for her. The house is always full of guests. They lived a fun and interesting life.

One of Primakov’s closest friends was Vladimir Ivanovich Burakovsky, a leading cardiac surgeon, director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, academician of medicine, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, last Hero Socialist Labor, which received a star from the hands of Brezhnev.

Burakovsky also grew up in Tbilisi, but he was seven years older than Primakov - this matters in childhood and adolescence. Then this difference ceased to be noticeable. They became friends already in the early seventies, when Primakov returned from the Middle East.

Liliana Burakovskaya, the widow of Vladimir Ivanovich, recalled:

“We arrived at the Primakovs’ small apartment on Fersman Street. I knew that, like every normal family, they had problems and difficulties, including financial ones. But they lived an interesting life. I didn’t see anything luxurious about them, and they weren’t used to a luxurious life. Neither Primakov nor Burakovsky created treasures for themselves on earth. They knew the Bible, they knew life. They understood: when we leave, we take nothing with us except our good name.

“But you can leave something for your children and grandchildren.” And this guides many.

– Yes, you can provide offspring in the seventh generation. But they didn't. Not because they didn’t love their children. They believed that what they had was enough. And let them earn the rest themselves.

Evgeny Maksimovich turned out to be a brilliant storyteller. In general, he likes to tell jokes, likes to joke. When the whole company later gathered, it was a fireworks display of wit.

“The way I first saw Evgeniy Maksimovich is how he remained,” Liliana Burakovskaya recalled. “He’s still like that now: always with a smile, friendly.” And Laura was the same. It was impossible not to love this family and not become close to them.

They never took themselves too seriously, they had no swagger. They were always self-critical and made fun of each other. Evgeniy Maksimovich is not vain or pompous. These are unfulfilled people who constantly talk about themselves. And the one who succeeded - why does he need it? On the contrary, such people treat themselves critically, ironically and even frivolously. Although Laura was sincerely proud when her husband made such a career:

– I told you that my Zhenya is number one!

She always understood that Evgeny Maksimovich was somehow superior to his comrades, recalls Liliana Burakovskaya.

– The wife also influences the husband. We quietly became closer. Laura became my friend. She was extraordinary, charming, and attracted people. Well-educated, she was keenly interested in everything, went to concerts and exhibitions. She herself played superbly and sang. On her birthday - February 8 - there were probably thirty friends gathered. Then they moved from Fersman Street to Leninsky Prospekt, they already had good flat, but she couldn’t accommodate everyone. Her friends adored her.

Laura was so cheerful - her friends could not even imagine that she was terminally ill. When she had her first attack, Burakovsky was the first to come running to her, because the Primakovs lived next to his institute on Leninsky Prospekt. The attack was stopped, and she was forced to be examined. Laura also did not take her health very seriously. But she had to undergo treatment. First, Burakovsky admitted her to his institute, then she went to the Central Clinical Hospital of the 4th Main Directorate under the USSR Ministry of Health.

Doctors made a serious diagnosis - myocarditis. Myocardium is the heart muscle. Myocarditis is inflammation of the muscle, it weakens and stops working. This is an incurable disease. Young Sasha Primakov died of myocarditis.

In such cases, a heart transplant is indicated. Vladimir Burakovsky wanted to begin heart transplant operations, but the then Minister of Health Boris Petrovsky, himself a cardiologist, forbade him to do so. But medications for myocarditis did not help; it was not possible to restore the functionality of the myocardium.

The moment came when doctors said that Laura Primakova had only five years left to live. They, of course, said this not to her, but to her husband. With this terrible news, Evgeniy Maksimovich came to the Burakovskys. He looked depressed, quiet, and withdrawn into himself. He could only speak with the Burakovskys. Not only because Vladimir Ivanovich is a doctor. They also experienced a terrible tragedy - their daughter died in a car accident. Her grave is next to the grave of Sasha Primakov.

– Did Evgeniy Maksimovich tell his wife about the diagnosis? – I asked Liliana Albertovna Burakovskaya.

- No no! Nobody spoke. They pretended that everything was fine. Primakov was invited to Japan with his wife. He consulted whether she could go? We decided: let Laura go and take a break. And it’s good that she went... And then she felt worse and worse, lay in the country, very weak... Laura didn’t even live five years.

In June 1987, on election day, Laura and Yevgeny Maksimovich went out into the yard. She suddenly froze and said:

– Zhenya, my heart stopped.

They called an ambulance, but it was already too late. She died in her husband's arms. She was only fifty-seven years old, a year younger than Evgeniy Maksimovich. Second tragedy in several years. Evgeny Maksimovich still loves Laura, thinks about her and suffers... On the days of memory of Laura and Sasha, Evgeny Maksimovich always gathers friends at the grave, and then takes them to the funeral.

Primakov left behind a daughter, Nana.

Liliana Burakovskaya:

– Evgeniy Maksimovich adores his daughter and grandchildren. Nana is a psychologist. She works with developmentally delayed children. I tell her: you are a saint... She looks at you somehow questioningly, studying you. She is modest and taciturn, reserved, maybe not very smiling, but suddenly she will say something with a great sense of humor, just like her father.

Primakov’s eldest granddaughter is Sasha, she was named in honor of the deceased Alexander Primakov. From her second marriage, Nana has a little girl - Masha. And from the departed son there was a grandson, Zhenya, named after his grandfather. He also became a journalist, working as his own correspondent for the NTV television company in the Middle East.

In April 1991, a group of American senators visited Moscow. Primakov invited them to his dacha. American Ambassador Jack Matlock was amazed:

“Traditionally, foreigners were received only in restaurants or in special “reception houses” maintained for this purpose. Soviet leaders never invited foreigners home. Primakov's dacha was cozy, but not luxurious. Most high-ranking people used state dachas, but Primakov was clearly more comfortable and comfortable in his own home, and he proudly showed off his home.

The mistress of the house was Primakov's daughter. Looking at photographs and family heirlooms, we remembered the personal sorrows that befell the owner. The family was friendly and united, and Primakov had not yet healed psychological trauma, born of bereavement. Showing us a photo of his late wife, he noted that although four years had passed since her death, he had absolutely no desire to marry again. Work has replaced everything for him.”

Primakov, even as a child, did not play sports and was not distinguished by excellent health.

“While working at the institute, I inherited Primakov’s huge desk,” recalled IMEMO employee Vladimir Razmerov. “They gave him an office with new furniture. And I got his old table. I was horrified to discover that one of the drawers was full of medicine. He, poor thing, swallowed all sorts of pills. But he holds on. Do you know what? I saw this on trips together. He, like Churchill, can sleep at any time, taking advantage of any minute. I think this is how he compensates for his pain and overexertion.

When he was director of intelligence, Yevgeny Maksimovich underwent surgery on the thyroid gland. After becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs, he underwent gall bladder surgery. But he has no special illnesses; he has not yet canceled or postponed a single task due to his own ill health. Every morning he swims half a kilometer in the pool, follows the regime, and no one dares to say that he cannot cope with his duties.

Thomas Kolesnichenko:

“Everything has improved for him.” Next to him is a very good woman, new wife. We, old friends of Evgeniy Maksimovich, fell in love with her very much, because she loves him and creates a full life for him, takes care of him.

For the second time, Primakov married his attending physician, Irina Borisovna Bokareva. She worked at the Barvikha sanatorium, which was the most comfortable and prestigious in the system of the 4th Main Directorate under the USSR Ministry of Health. Although there were many sanatoriums and rest houses for management - from the Riga seaside to Sochi, from the Kursk region to Valdai, in Soviet times all the big bosses preferred Barvikha.

Mild climate middle zone, indicated for almost any disease, the proximity of Moscow, large rooms, good dietary nutrition and real medicine - this attracted vacationers even out of season. It was a special honor to receive a trip to Barvikha. Top officials rested here. Less senior officials were denied travel.

If you drive along Rublevskoye Highway, then, before reaching the dacha village of Zhukovka and government dachas, you will see a simple sign: Barvikha. You need to turn around and get off the highway onto a beautiful forest road. And soon a new sign “Barvikha Sanatorium” will appear. During the war there was a hospital here. Those whom the doctors were unable to help were buried nearby - the military cemetery has survived to this day.

At the gate there is a stone house from which the brave guard on duty will appear. If you come to rest, you must present your voucher. If you are visiting, then your name or car number must appear on the list provided by the chief physician. If they are waiting for you, the gates open and you can enter the sanatorium. The road is with strict signs “Parking near the building is prohibited!” – leads to the main building. The doors open automatically. The duty officer is sitting at the table. Vacationers are greeted like family. Things are carried on a cart to your room so that, God forbid, you don’t have to carry them yourself.

There are few vacationers in the sanatorium, who hardly see each other, but there are many incredibly polite people in white coats. They don’t get irritated here and don’t deny vacationers anything. Everyone is called by their first name and patronymic. The names are remembered not only by the attending physician, but also by the sisters, and the servers in the dining room, and the nannies, and those who bring food to the rooms of disabled patients.

Each vacationer, if he arrived without a wife, is entitled to a cozy single room with a small dressing room and his own toilet room. The room has a wardrobe, TV, refrigerator, desk, coffee table, TV and telephone with a Moscow number. Family rooms are larger. A slide with dishes and an electric samovar are a must. In Soviet times, everyone was provided with free underwear, tracksuits and sneakers. The morals in the sanatorium are liberal. You can keep wine and vodka in your refrigerator and ask the nurse on duty to bring a corkscrew. Although this is a sanatorium, no one will be surprised.

The sanatorium consists of several buildings connected by passages or a winter garden. The architecture is intricate. They live on the first and second floors, on the third there are administrative offices, a cinema hall - movies every evening. It was once the main evening entertainment. Doctors' offices are scattered on different floors. Each room has a small balcony, including those on the first floor.

In the dining room there is a buffet - vegetables, herbs, and the rest can be ordered from the menu. The sanatorium has its own poultry farm. You can get fasting meals - they bring them to your room so that those who want to lose weight do not go to the dining room themselves and do not look with envy at what others are eating.

In the summer they ride a bike, play ping-pong, and swim in the pond. But a bicycle and a boat are only available as prescribed by a doctor. In addition to the boatman, a sister is on duty in case one of the vacationers becomes ill. They built a beautiful tea house, where they drink tea in the fresh air - with honey, jam, and sweets.

Those who wish can go to the pool and sauna. But mostly people receive treatment in Barvikha. Half an hour after the vacationer arrives, the attending physician appears in his room. He, or more often she, will come every day, except weekends (when only the doctor on duty remains), at a convenient time between breakfast and lunch. Everyone is prescribed a lot of procedures - so everyone is busy until lunch. The sanatorium is famous for its physiotherapy: magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, Bernard currents, hydro procedures, whirlpool baths, hydromassage, carbon dioxide baths, and regular massage is wonderful.

Doctors live in a staff house - next to the territory of the sanatorium. Around four o'clock in the afternoon the attending doctors get ready to go home. But first the doctor looks at the patient:

– Are there any problems? Don't you need me anymore today?

Only after that can she leave. We always tried to select doctors who were knowledgeable, skillful, kind, and capable of making the life of a vacationer pleasant. One of the attending physicians in Barvikha during perestroika was Irina Borisovna Bokareva. A young woman, she and her family came from Stavropol, where she graduated from medical school, a fellow countrywoman of Gorbachev, which she spoke about then not without pride. Her husband, a tall man, somewhat reserved, with a wheat mustache, also worked as a doctor in Barvikha. My daughter went to school and was sent to her grandparents for the summer.

People immediately noticed Irina Borisovna: a sweet woman, smiling. She has a kind word for everyone. Every person talking to her feels how much she sympathizes with him. She came to her patients in the morning in a great mood and infected patients with this mood: Good morning, how did you sleep? And she asked sincerely, sympathetically. I remembered all the requests and wishes of vacationers. She was not talking about herself, but about the patients, which does not happen very often among doctors. I am writing about this with knowledge of the matter - in the late eighties, my parents vacationed in a sanatorium, Irina Borisovna was their attending physician, and they were very pleased.

Irina Borisovna was loved by vacationers, appreciated by service staff and, apparently, by management, because she received a big promotion. She was put in charge of the department for senior management. When Primakov was vacationing in Barvikha, Irina Borisovna took care of him herself. In 1989, Evgeny Maksimovich was elected as a candidate member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. From now on, he relied on a personal doctor who dealt only with him, constantly monitored the patient and, if necessary, called on any specialists for help.

The special clinic was located on Granovsky Street in an old three-story building that belonged to the 4th Main Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Health. On the second floor they received members and candidate members of the CPSU Central Committee and members of the Central Audit Commission. On the ground floor are the country's biggest bosses: members and candidate members of the Politburo, secretaries of the Central Committee.

Primakov chose his own personal doctor. Irina Borisovna spoke about this much later in a newspaper interview. Primakov called her:

– Irina Borisovna, in my current situation I am entitled to a personal doctor. Don't you want to become one?

She answered with lightning speed:

It was undoubtedly a happy occasion.

After Laura's death, Primakov did not marry for a long time and did not even think about it. But Irina Borisovna turned out to be exactly the woman he needed. The relationship between them developed over several years.

“Evgeny Maksimovich,” said Irina Borisovna, “was stopped by the large age difference, as it seemed to him then. It scared me that his family and friends might come up with the idea: I don’t need a person, but what stands behind this person. Position, position...

After the August 1991 coup, the institution of personal doctors was abolished. The relationship between them became purely personal.

Irina Borisovna:

“When I had to return home, I usually sighed: “I don’t want to leave.” At one of these moments he said: “Don’t. Stay forever." This is what the proposal that Evgeniy Maksimovich made to me looked like two years before the wedding.

They got married, and Primakov, one might say, got a second wind. Without such a person next to him, he would hardly have coped with the trials that he had to go through in the late nineties.

Compensation for all the sorrows was the abundance of devoted friends surrounding Primakov. He has many comrades both here and in the Caucasus. He loves his friends, his friends love him. This style is so Caucasian, Tbilisi.

Vitaly Ignatenko:

“His courageous behavior is probably a result of his childhood; he grew up in difficult times, and even without a father. But there were faithful friends. And they were always monolithic, he had a good rear. Nothing could happen. He could always return to his wonderful comrades. Everywhere they have always waited for him and are still waiting for him. It is very important to feel that you have comrades behind you, who don’t care who you are, where you are, what car you drive, or whether you even have this car. It gives vitality...

On TV screens, Primakov often appeared gloomy; he seemed to be constantly dissatisfied. When he became Foreign Minister, he first appeared in public wearing opaque dark glasses. This did not make a very pleasant impression. And I remember I wrote a column in Izvestia about Primakov under the headline “Dark glasses prevent you from seeing.” true face minister." Apparently someone else told him about it, and he soon changed his glasses so that his eyes could be seen.

On the day when Primakov was confirmed in State Duma to the post of Prime Minister and he spoke to deputies with the words “I am not a magician,” his friend Valentin Zorin was taken to the hospital with suspected peritonitis. In the evening, having learned about this from his wife, the head of government Primakov came to the hospital to visit his comrade.

When a new building of the Research Institute of Cardiac Surgery named after V.I. Burakovsky opened at the intersection of Rublevskoye and Uspenskoye highways, the head of government, putting aside other matters, attended the opening and said a few warm words. Television cameras showed the face of Primakov, who sadly looked at the bust of his late friend, after whom the institute is named. Primakov played an important role in the fact that this construction, which began during Burakovsky’s lifetime, was completed.

When Academician Alexander Yakovlev celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday, Primakov, of course, came. Everyone left, leaving the two of them to talk at the set table. Primakov faced difficult negotiations with the managing director of the International currency board Michel Camdessus. This did not stop Primakov from making several toasts and drinking a certain number of glasses of vodka to the hero of the day’s health - without compromising Russia’s difficult relations with the International Monetary Fund.

On December 25, 1998, the day after the State Duma approved the draft budget presented by his government in the first reading, Primakov arrived at the Izvestia building on Tverskaya at nine in the morning to congratulate Stanislav Kondrashov on his seventieth birthday. I drank tea with him, sat for an hour and only after that went to the government, where he had a meeting with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

If he trusted someone, developed friendly relations, then at least - even if the person is removed from his post, mixed with dirt - Primakov will still not change towards him. He continues to call this person and meet. One of the politicians, whose name thundered not so long ago, but is now almost forgotten, deprived of positions and, it seems, work in general, says about Primakov:

“I appreciated what a good comrade he is.” When he is in our area, he comes to see me. These are always pleasant meetings. Primakov is an open-minded man. He accepts and respects other people's opinions - at least it seems so to me. A cheerful, sincere, cheerful person. It's easy with him.

Being friends in Primakov's way means not only kissing each other three times and raising glasses to each other's health. He carefully preserves the memory of those who have passed away. Usually people get lost in the turmoil of life. But he doesn’t. He always remains close to the families of those who have passed on. This is very important to him.

Margarita Maksimova, widow of Academician Inozemtsev:

“My granddaughter was literally dying. The hospital where she was staying didn’t have the right pediatrician, but the pus had to be pumped out urgently. And there was no way they could transfer her to a children’s clinic. I couldn’t stand it and called Primakov’s assistant Robert Vartanovich Markaryan asking for help. Evgeniy Maksimovich was then in the Supreme Council and headed the Council of the Union. Fifteen minutes later, the hospital was instructed to immediately contact the children's clinic, the child was sent, the pus was pumped out and he was saved. I am grateful to him to my death.

Evgeniy Maksimovich kept all his friends, including those from his school days. And no matter what position he holds, it does not change anything in his attitude towards his friends. He went through life with them without losing anything.

Leon Onikov said:

– We have our own code of friendship. In friendship, neither nation nor religion matters. Age must be respected - nothing more. Primakov absorbed all this from childhood.

Everywhere he went, he made strong, long-lasting friendships with people. They became friends with Robert Markaryan since Primakov was director of the Institute of Oriental Studies. At IMEMO, Grigory Morozov became his friend, ex-husband Svetlana Alliluyeva. On the radio - Valentin Zorin. In Pravda - Thomas Kolesnichenko.

“One person keeps saying that politics and friendship are incompatible,” said Onikov. “I answered him: give up politics, you unfortunate thing, start making friends!” We may have different views, our own likes and dislikes, but they are not a hindrance to friendship.

Primakov seems to transfer his cordiality towards his friends to everyone else. When he became the head of intelligence, a minister, and the head of government, those around Primakov noted with amazement his obvious mistakes in personnel matters and incorrect appointments.

Primakov’s first wife Laura Vasilievna was very worried that Evgeniy Maksimovich had a poor understanding of people and was too trusting. They loved everyone and had many friends. They came to their home, but she didn’t like all of them. I didn't like someone at all. Laura believed that Evgeny Maksimovich was not able to recognize the bad in people, and was very worried that this could harm him.

Everyone makes mistakes. But his assistants were indeed sometimes amazed: did he appoint this man to such an important position? How could this happen?

Tatyana Samolis worked with Primakov in the Foreign Intelligence Service:

“He paradoxically combines the mind of a statesman and the soul of a naive child. Sometimes it seemed to me that I was older than him by God knows how many years. He is amazingly naive about people... He proceeds from the presumption of decency of any person - that’s how I would define it. People can be roughly divided into two categories - some evaluate a person based on the fact that everyone is good until it becomes obvious that he is bad, and others believe that everyone is bad until he proves that he is good. For Primakov, absolutely everyone is good. All my comrades are smart, brilliant, wonderful. But then something accumulates - one thing, another. It creaks for a long time. He doesn’t want to say out loud that this person is not that good. But then he will come to terms with the fact that he has to break up... But for him to be so angry with someone that he doesn’t want to talk about him is a rare case! ...I had to be with him in situations where a narrow circle of people gathered, whom he trusted and, apparently, said what he thought, with the exception of some incredible state secrets,” recalls Tatyana Samolis. - But he never said anything bad about those who spoke about him, to put it mildly, disapprovingly... When he was accused of something, he was always so upset and threw up his hands. He understood that there might be a difference of opinion. Undoubtedly. But why there was so much dirt and insults swirling around - he didn’t understand.

– Primakov is such an experienced administrator. He was constantly faced with serious conflicts, and are you saying that it was strange for him that someone was engaged in intrigues? – I asked Tatyana Samolis.

– No, of course, theoretically he knew about it. And he practically knew that he had maybe a thousand conflicts at work. But he still had a naive belief that all people are not bad. And he really didn’t like any attempt I made to reason with him. Until he himself was convinced that he was wrong in relation to this or that person. This is a paradox for me. A combination of such life experience and naivety towards people... And in any situation - when some kind of intrigue was bubbling around him and God knows what else, and people were swimming in it - he retained such naivety. When he talks about people, he smiles. It's a pleasure for him to say his friend's name, and he has an incredible number of them. Yes, I would get tired of this, I would physically not be able to communicate with them all. And then, I couldn’t love so many people. I would limit myself to a narrow circle of friends. He - no, he can love everyone. He needs to feel them all from time to time, touch them, talk to them, meet them.

- So, is he unable to part with a worthless employee?

“It depends on what this person did to push him away,” says Tatyana Samolis. - This can happen very quickly - if a person is such a hindrance to the cause that every day he spends in an important post is dangerous. He will quickly remove it. Primakov can be tough. He is quite capable of this. He knows what he wants, where he is going. Otherwise, his life would have been different. But he is quite capable of working with a person who is personally unpleasant to him. Let's say Primakov noticed some shortcomings in someone, but considers good professional. Primakov will tolerate such a person. And not only that, it will create a good working environment around him and will not allow others to play on these shortcomings and set themselves up against this person. The principle is simple - if we need him, he does the job well - that's it, guys, let's stop empty talk.

It seemed that Primakov was an indecisive person. This is true?

“Well, this is a misconception,” says Vitaly Ignatenko. “He is a very decisive person and very strong-willed in pursuing his ideas and policies. When he became head of government, this was probably felt on a global, geopolitical scale. We can say that in his words he is soft - he does not raise his voice. But he is an exceptionally determined and principled person. This is his strength.

-Have you ever seen him sad, melancholy?

“Never,” says Ignatenko firmly. - He may, of course, like any person, be subject to doubts, sadness, sadness - he has many reasons for sadness and sadness in life. But in public he is always optimistic, next to him you feel any of your failures so small. This is a trait of his character - the confidence that everything can be overcome, turned around. This character trait, I think, helps him in all his work, in any endeavors. And I am sure that it will help him in his current work.

Leon Onikov:

– Most often we gathered at Volodya Burakovsky’s while he was alive. We called each other two or three times a week in the evening and met at his institute. We drank. And in a long bath, in which syringes were once disinfected, sausages were boiled. We always gathered when someone came from Tbilisi. And they often came - his school friends. Many people stayed at his house. If someone came to see him, they called me. If they came to me, I called him. They talked about friends, about loyalty, about values, who is a friend, who needs help, who is a scoundrel. Or they joked or told jokes.

Primakov is a big fan of jokes. Here is one of his favorite jokes.

Two old men meet. One says:

- I'm in trouble! I completely lost my memory. I forgot everything I knew.

The second one calms him down:

- Don't be afraid. I had the same thing. But they sent me pills from America, and now everything is fine.

- God bless. What are the pills called?

The second one thought:

- You know, there are such flowers, a tall stem that ends in a white or red flower... What are they called?

- Carnations.

- No, not carnations. There are thorns on the stem...

- Roses, or what?

- That's right, rose!

He turns his head and shouts towards the kitchen:

– Rose, Rose, what are the names of the pills that completely restored my memory?

Leon Onikov:

– For us, a feast is a pastime, a conversation. We don't drown ourselves with strong drinks. Caucasian feasts are not drinking: they quickly poured it out, let’s go, let’s do it, let’s do it, and that’s it. Caucasian toasts – mutual communication. We had table conversations, but not standard table conversations, like in Moscow. I don’t want to offend anyone, but the Caucasian feast has its own principles, its own goals. When we were young, we only drank wine. When he changed his tastes, I didn’t keep track. But now they put vodka next to it. Even if there are many different drinks - cognac, whiskey, vodka, wine, he prefers vodka. I've never seen him drunk and lost his head.

We have a cult of toast. He is a very good toastmaster, but when we were together, I was usually the toastmaster. And when he wants to make a toast, he always looks at me. What's important in toast? Firstly, the zest is not just “for the health of so-and-so,” you need to come up with something original. He can. Secondly, sincerity. Thirdly, kindness. And laconicism. Talkativeness is no good. Some toasts are fancy, some are obligatory. Here, for example, is a toast: let's drink to the health of those who drink to our health in our absence.

“At the Russian table it is believed that everyone has to say,” said Leon Onikov. – If someone is not allowed to speak, he gets offended. In the Caucasus, it’s the other way around. Only the toastmaster speaks, and the one for whom they didn’t drink gets offended. They adopted the expression “alaverdy” in Moscow. Alaverdi is fine... So what now? I drink to your health, and he, in the order of “aleverdi,” drinks to mine. You can not do it this way. One toast for one person - that’s how it’s supposed to be...

According to Primakov’s friends, he was not interested in fishing, and he never had a passion for the game. Backgammon, cards, checkers, chess are not for him. Primakov was vacationing in the south. He loves the sea. Still, I almost became a naval officer.

I made this digression and talked about Evgeniy Maksimovich’s personal life, quite deliberately, so that the motives for his actions and decisions would be clearer.

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Evgeniy Maksimovich September 11, 1998 May 12, 1999

March 24, 1999

June 26, 2015

October 29, 2019

Awards of Evgeny Primakov

1979 - Order of Friendship of Peoples

1985 - Order of the Badge of Honor

Confessional awards

Departmental awards

Public awards

Works of Evgeny Primakov

"East: turn of the 80s" (1983);

Memory of Yevgeny Primakov

“Primakov Readings” is an international forum of experts, diplomats and politicians dedicated to the memory of Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov. Organizer: Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the support of PJSC International Trade Center, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and a number of other organizations. The event has been held annually since 2015.

In December 2015, ten personal scholarships named after Evgeniy Primakov were established for MSU students and ten personal scholarships for MGIMO students.

The name was given to the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The RAS also established a gold medal named after Primakov, awarded for outstanding scientific achievements in World Economy and International Relations.

Since 2017, a gymnasium in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region has been named after Primakov.

In April 2016, the name of Primakov was given to a newly formed street in the Leninsky district of the city of Makhachkala.

In March 2016, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the Primakov Medal.

In November 2016 memorial plaque Yevgeny Primakova was installed at house 3 on Skatertny Lane, where the politician lived.

The name “Evgeniy Primakov” was assigned in 2018 to the Sovcomflot icebreaker of the Aker ARC 121 project.

In 2019 Charitable Foundation The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation was renamed the Primakov Children's Assistance Fund.

A hall named after the political and statesman, orientalist-Arabist Yevgeny Primakov and his bust were opened at school No. 4 named after Hero of Russia Anatoly Kyarov.

In Moscow, on Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, in the park opposite the Russian Foreign Ministry building, on October 29, 2019, a monument to Yevgeny Primakov by sculptor Georgy Frangulyan was unveiled.

Family of Evgeny Primakov

The father was repressed. Disappeared in the camps.
Mother - Anna Yakovlevna Primakova (1896-1972), obstetrician-gynecologist.

Cousin (son of his mother's sister, Fanny Yakovlevna Kirshenblat, nee Primakova) - Soviet biologist Yakov Davidovich Kirshenblat.

Maternal uncle - Alexander Yakovlevich Primakov, executed in Tbilisi on April 19, 1938.

First wife - Laura Vasilievna Kharadze (marriage from 1951 to 1987), student at the Georgian Polytechnic Institute, adopted daughter of NKVD General M.M. Gvishiani.

Son - Alexander Evgenievich Primakov (1954-1981) - graduated from MGIMO, completed an internship in the USA, a graduate student at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, his scientific supervisor was his father's friend Valentin Zorin, suffered from myocarditis, died on May 1, 1981 from a heart attack.
Grandson - Evgeny Aleksandrovich Primakov (born in 1976, creative pseudonym - Evgeny Sandro, Sandro - in honor of his father (Alexander)), journalist, orientalist, host of the “International Review” program on the Russia-24 TV channel.
Four granddaughters.

Daughter - Nana Evgenievna Primakova (born January 21, 1962) - a teacher-defectologist by profession, works as a psychologist, member of the Russian Psychoanalytic Society. Her husband is the son of academician, immunologist, director of the institute in Tbilisi Vladimir Ivanovich Bakhutashvili.
Two granddaughters: Alexandra (born 1982), Maria (born 1997).

Second wife - Irina Borisovna Bokareva (born October 24, 1952), therapist; in 1989-1991 - personal physician of Evgeniy Primakov.

26.06.2015

Primakov Evgeniy Maksimovich
Ion Finkelstein

Statesman

President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (2001-2011)

Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the 3rd convocation (2000-2001)

Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (since September)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (1996-1998)

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Doctor of Economic Sciences

Academician

Evgeny Primakov, born Ion Finkelshtein on October 29, 1929 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The politician did not know his father, since in the early 1930s he was repressed and disappeared in one of the camps. Mother, Anna Yakovlevna, worked as a gynecologist. Soon after birth, he moved to the Georgian city of Tbilisi, where relatives lived. After finishing seven classes, the guy left for Baku, where he entered a military school created on the basis of a naval special school. However, in 1946, the young man was expelled from the cadets due to pulmonary tuberculosis.

Returning to Georgia and graduating from high school in 1948, the young man entered the capital’s Institute of Oriental Studies. In 1953, after graduating from the university with honors and becoming a specialist in Arab states, he continued his education in graduate school at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University.

Since 1956, Evgeny Maksimovich Primakov began working as a journalist for the All-Union Radio, holding positions from correspondent to editorial director of radio broadcasting on foreign countries State Committee for cultural relations. At the age of thirty-three, he began working as an international columnist for the newspaper Pravda, and in 1965 he became the Middle East correspondent for this publication.

While living in Egypt, Primakov performed important tasks Central Committee party, met with the Iraqi leadership Saddam Hussein, Tariq Aziz, the Kurdish military Mustafa Barzani, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the Syrian leader of the Arab Renaissance Party Yousef Zuein, as well as the Sudanese general who became the head of the country Jafar Mohammed Nimeiri. In 1969, the politician received a Doctor of Science degree, defending Scientific research"Social and Economic Development of Egypt".

At the end of 1970, the head of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nikolai Nikolaevich Inozemtsev, invited Primakov to take the post of his deputy. At the same time, being a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences, Evgeniy Maksimovich headed the Institute of Oriental Studies, combining this position since 1979 with teaching at the Diplomatic Academy as a professor, as well as with the post of deputy chairman of the Peace Committee.

Since 1985, Primakov has been the head of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. At the same time, he was a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, led the study of methods for studying global political and economic issues, and analyzed interstate conflicts and other problems in the field of international relations.

In the period from 1990 to 1991, he acted as an adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev. With his participation, the main players on the world political arena searched for ways to solve pressing problems and regulate key interactions in international politics. Thus, on the eve of the conflict in Persian Gulf met with Saddam Hussein, with Israeli figures: Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, as well as with Hosni Mubarak, Hafez Assad.

After the putsch in August 1991, Primakov was appointed first deputy chairman of the State Security Committee. With the formation of the Russian Federation, he was elected head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, holding this post from 1991 to 1996.

From January 1996 to September 1998, Evgeniy Maksimovich headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As head of the department, he advocated a multi-vector foreign policy. He was the initiator of the creation, in contrast to the United States, of the Russia-China-India strategic triangle. He was an opponent of NATO expansion and a supporter of ending the Cold War. It was Primakov who returned authority and dignity to the country's diplomatic service.

Evgeniy Maksimovich September 11, 1998 appointed to the post of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. During the eight months of his premiership, the market economy in Russia quickly stabilized and recovered. Primakov resigned May 12, 1999, which, due to the slowdown in reforms, was perceived negatively by more than 80% of citizens.

The most famous event associated with Primakov and firmly entered into the political lexicon as a reversal over the Atlantic. When March 24, 1999 The Russian Prime Minister was on his way to an official visit to the United States, however, having learned on the flight about NATO’s decision to bomb Yugoslavia, he ordered the plane, which was already over the Atlantic Ocean, to be turned around and returned to Moscow, refusing to meet with the Western leadership. This event was an act of the revival of Russia and a demonstration to the world that one cannot talk to Russia from a position of strength.”

In 1999, Primakov became a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia of the 3rd convocation, heading the Fatherland - All Russia party. In 2000, two months before the presidential elections in the country, in a televised address he refused to participate in the presidential race and after the election of Vladimir Putin he became his ally and adviser.

Since 2001, Primakov has been the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for ten years. Then he became chairman of the veterans club, exchanging opinions and analysis of the political situation with the state leadership. Recognition of the merits of the statesman, the author of scientific research, was marked by many prizes and high awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III, II and I degrees, Alexander Nevsky, Honor.

In 2011, the politician resigned as president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and after that finally left “big politics.”

In addition to politics and science, Primakov distinguished himself in literature. He is the author of numerous articles and books on political and economic topics. In addition, Evgeniy Maksimovich was fond of poetry and wrote poetry himself.

Such intense activity undermined Primakov’s health. In 2014, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. In 2014, he underwent surgery in Milan, then was treated at the Blokhin Russian Cancer Center. I was hospitalized again on June 3, 2015.

Evgeny Maksimovich Primakov died June 26, 2015 in Moscow as a result of liver cancer. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to family and friends. The funeral service for the outstanding statesman took place in the Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Convent under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. Buried with military honors in Section 6 Novodevichy Cemetery capital Cities.

On the day of Yevgeny Primakov's 90th birthday October 29, 2019, in the park near the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs there is a monument to the great Russian politician. The grand opening of the monument was attended by all the top officials of the state, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as his colleagues, friends, relatives and relatives. On the same day, the State Duma hosted the exhibition “The Path of the Creator”, dedicated to the anniversary of the politician. It shows many of Primakov’s personal belongings, a briefcase, a pen, identification cards, many documents and photographs.

Awards of Evgeny Primakov

State awards and prizes

1975 - Order of the Red Banner of Labor

1979 - Order of Friendship of Peoples

1980 - Laureate of the USSR State Prize

1982 - Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi

1985 - Order of the Badge of Honor

1995 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree

1998 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree - for services to the state and great contribution to the conduct of Russian foreign policy

2001 - Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation - for successful and high-quality execution tasks related to establishing the negotiation process on the status of Transnistria

2004 - Certificate of Honor from the Government of the Russian Federation - for services to the state, many years of fruitful work and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth

2004 - Certificate of Honor from the Moscow Regional Duma - for services in promoting the implementation of socio-economic policy by authorities state power Moscow region and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth

2004 - Order of Honor - for his great contribution to the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation and many years of conscientious work

2009 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree - for outstanding services to the state in the development of international cooperation, strengthening foreign economic relations of the Russian Federation and many years of fruitful scientific activity

2014 - Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation - for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian activities for 2013

2014 - Order of Alexander Nevsky - for achievements in labor, many years of conscientious work and active social activities

Awards from foreign countries

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree (Ukraine, October 27, 2004) - for outstanding personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian-Russian economic and political relations and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth

Order of Friendship of Peoples (Belarus, March 22, 2005) - for great personal contribution to the development and strengthening of Belarusian-Russian relations

Order of Dostyk, 1st degree (Kazakhstan, 2007)

Order "Danaker" (Kyrgyzstan, December 22, 2005) - for significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation, development of trade and economic relations between Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation

Order of Friendship (Tajikistan, 1999)

Order of the Republic (Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, 2009)

Order of Solidarity (Cuba, 2010)

Anniversary medal “20 years of independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan” (2012)

Order of the Star of Jerusalem (Palestinian National Authority, 2014)

Awards from international organizations

2014 - Medal “For Strengthening Parliamentary Cooperation” (November 27, 2014, Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS) - for special contribution to the development of parliamentarism, strengthening democracy, ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens in member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States

2001 - Certificate of the Commonwealth of Independent States (June 1, 2001, Council of Heads of State of the CIS) - for active work to strengthen and develop the Commonwealth of Independent States

Confessional awards

2009 - Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, 1st degree (ROC, October 29, 2009) - for many years of fruitful public activity and public service

2012 - Order of Al-Fakhr, 1st degree (the highest award of the Council of Muftis of Russia) - for outstanding contribution to the cause of fruitful service to the multinational Russian society, strengthening cooperation between the peoples of the Russian Federation and the Arab-Muslim world, as well as the development of the domestic school of Islamic studies and the training of qualified personnel of oriental scholars

2014 - Russian Order of Glory and Honor, 1st degree Orthodox Church(ROC) (October 29, 2014) - in consideration of the works and in connection with the significant date

Departmental awards

2001 - Gorchakov Memorial Medal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (April 2001) - “for services to strengthening peace and developing international cooperation, promoting universal ideals and humanitarian values, as well as achievements in diplomatic activities”

2008 - Large gold medal named after Lomonosov of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) - for outstanding contribution to development social sciences

Public awards

1974 - Winner of the Gamal Abdel Nasser International Prize

1983 - Laureate of the Avicenna Prize

1990 - Winner of the George Kennan Award

2000 - Laureate of the International Hugo Grotius Prize - for his enormous contribution to development international law and for the creation of a doctrine of a multipolar world

2002 - Laureate of the National Business Reputation Award “Darin” of the Russian Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship (RABiP)

2003 - Laureate of the International Golden Aquarius Award in the nomination “For Honor and Dignity”

2009 - Laureate of the Union of Journalists of Russia “Golden Pen of Russia” award (2009) for the book “A World without Russia?”

2012 - Laureate of the Demidov Prize in the field of social sciences - “for outstanding contribution to the development of international relations and the positioning of Russia in the modern world”

2015 - Winner of the fifth “Vivat - Victory!” Award (Russia) - for services to the Fatherland. The award has no monetary reward. The laureates are awarded a diploma, an icon of St. George the Victorious and an officer's saber.

Works of Evgeny Primakov

"The Countries of Arabia and Colonialism" (1956);
“International Conflicts of the Sixties and Seventies” (1972, co-author);
“Egypt: the time of President Nasser” (1974, 2nd ed. 1981; co-authored with I. P. Belyaev);
"The Middle East: Five Paths to Peace" (1974);
“The Energy Crisis: The Approach of Soviet Scientists” (1974);
"The Energy Crisis in the Capitalist World" (1975, editor);
"Anatomy of the Middle East Conflict" (1978);
“New phenomena in the energy sector of the capitalist world” (1979);
"The East after the Collapse of the Colonial System" (1982);
"East: turn of the 80s" (1983);
“The story of one conspiracy: US Middle East policy in the 70s - early. 80s." (1985);
“Essays on the history of Russian foreign intelligence” (in 6 volumes, 1996);
“Years in Big Politics” (1999);
“Eight Months Plus...” (2001);
"The World After 9/11" (2002);
"Confidential: The Middle East on Stage and Behind the Scenes" (2006, 2nd ed. 2012);
"Minefield of Politics" (2006);
“A world without Russia? What political myopia leads to" (2009)
"Thinking out loud". M.: Russian newspaper, 2011. 207 pp., 15,000 copies.
"Russia. Hopes and worries." M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2015.
"Meetings at crossroads." M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2015. 607 p.
“The Middle East on stage and behind the scenes. Confidentially". M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2016. 415 pp.

Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov is known as one of the leading Russian orientalists, a major Soviet and Russian statesman, who during his life managed to work as director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, minister of foreign affairs, and chairman of the government.

Evgeny Primakov was born in Kyiv on October 29, 1929. The future politician spent his childhood and youth in Tbilisi.

In 1953 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, in 1956 - graduate school at Moscow State University.

Primakov began his career as an Arabic journalist. He worked at the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, was a columnist for the Pravda newspaper in the Asia and Africa department, and Pravda’s own correspondent in the Middle East. During business trips, he met with many Middle Eastern politicians and public figures, including Saddam Hussein, the future Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq Tariq Aziz, one of the leaders of the Iraqi Kurds Mustafa Barzani, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

In 1977-1985, Primakov headed the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and led the development of a new methodology “ situational analysis» problems of world politics.

In the late 1980s, Yevgeny Primakov began his political career and became one of the most prominent figures in Gorbachev’s “perestroika.”

In the USSR Presidential Council he was responsible for foreign policy. On behalf of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, in late 1990 - early 1991, Primakov negotiated in the Middle East with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on the issue of the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

Since September 1991, Yevgeny Primakov has been one of the heads of the USSR foreign intelligence service. And from December 1991 to January 1996 - Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

In 1996-1998, Primakov served as Russian Foreign Minister. He became the author of the “multipolarity” strategy in foreign policy, in the concept of which Russia’s relations with Western countries were to be built on mutually beneficial conditions.

Yevgeny Primakov was the first to put forward the idea of ​​strengthening cooperation in the format of the Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, which was later joined by Brazil and South Africa.

In 1998-1999, Yevgeny Primakov headed the Russian government. Primakov was rushed to save the Russian economy after the government of Sergei Kiriyenko declared a default.

One of the most striking events during Primakov’s premiership was the failed visit to the United States. On March 24, 1999, the head of government was on his way to Washington. When the plane was over the Atlantic, the prime minister was informed that NATO had begun bombing Yugoslavia. Primakov decided to cancel the visit, ordered the plane to be turned around directly over the ocean and returned to Moscow.

By the end of the 90s, Yevgeny Primakov became one of the most popular politicians in the country.

In the elections to the State Duma of the third convocation, he headed the federal list of the Fatherland - All Russia (OVR) electoral bloc, and from 1999 to 2001 he led the OVR Duma faction.

In December of the same year, Yevgeny Primakov officially announced his intention to run for the presidency of Russia in 2000, but three months later he refused to participate in the elections.

In December 2001, Primakov was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and held this post until February 2011. Heading the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Primakov continued to carry out particularly important foreign policy assignments of the country's leadership. For example, in March 2003, a few days before the invasion of Iraq by US troops and its allies, Primakov flew to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and invited him to resign to prevent war.

Evgeny Maksimovich Primakov is rightfully considered one of the most prominent and influential politicians of his time. Probably, no politician either before or after him felt such powerful support from the people. Everything speaks about his outstanding talents as a politician. biography of Evgeny Primakov, during which his career constantly either went uphill or remained at the very top, regardless of who was leading the country as President at that moment. This is probably a special talent given to him by nature.

Evgeniy Maksimovich Primakov was born on October 29, 1929 in Kyiv. His mother, Anna Yakovlevna Kirshenblat, worked as an obstetrician. There is very little information about the politician’s father. According to some reports, he was a military man and served in Kyiv and Tbilisi. Yevgeny Primakov never had time to truly become a father, since he was repressed and executed as an enemy of the people just three months after the birth of his son. In this regard, shortly after the birth of Yevgeny Primakov, his mother decided to return to her native Tbilisi, where the future luminary of the Russian political arena spent his childhood and youth. However, he went to study higher education in Moscow.

In 1953, Evgeny Primakov received a diploma from the Arabic department of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow. Three years later, he graduated from graduate school at the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University. It is difficult to highlight in one article all the variety of activities in which the politician showed his talent. Therefore, we will try to identify the most significant and lasting of them. At the beginning, Evgeny Primakov devoted a lot of time to his professional biography scientific activity, however, due to financial difficulties associated with the birth of his son, he was forced to stop his scientific quest. Then for a long time The politician devoted himself to journalism, working according to his profile as an orientalist. And not as a theorist from Moscow, but as a practitioner living in an eastern country - Cairo. According to some reports, during this period Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov actively collaborated with intelligence agencies. However, this information, of course, has not been officially confirmed. Nevertheless, it was during this period that the politician made many useful and influential acquaintances with leaders of eastern countries such as Gaddafi and Hussein.

In the 80-90s, Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov held prominent positions in the USSR Academy of Sciences, and since 1991 he has headed the intelligence service (KGB). Subsequently he becomes the head of the foreign intelligence service and holds this post until 1996. The politician’s work as Minister of Foreign Affairs is very indicative. In this post, he achieved many positive results for the country, developing cooperation with both the east and the west equally. For some time, Yevgeny Primakov did not have a good relationship with his colleague from the United States, but after the appointment of Madeleine Albright to the post of Secretary of State, this situation changed for the better. In 1998-1999, the politician headed the government under President Yeltsin. This period was remembered by the residents of the country for the many corruption cases that were initiated, the most high-profile of which was the case against Boris Berezovsky. After leaving the government, Evgeny Primakov headed the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for two consecutive terms, and since 2012 - OJSC RTI.

In the photo - Evgeny Primakov with his first wife

Unfortunately, his political career developed against the backdrop of personal tragedies. Evgeniy Maksimovich Primakov met his first wife Laura Kharadze in Tbilisi. Their wedding dates back to 1951. From this marriage the politician has two children - son Alexander and daughter Nana. Unfortunately, Alexander Primakov died untimely in the mid-80s from a heart attack, which overtook him on a bench in the Alexander Garden during a demonstration dedicated to May 1. The only consolation for the parents was their grandson Evgeniy, born in 1984. The politician's wife passed away a year after the death of her son. The daughter of a politician, Nana, is a defectologist by profession. She has two daughters. Yevgeny Primakov met his second wife at the clinic. Irina Borisovna is the politician’s attending physician, therapist.

In the photo - Evgeny Primakov with his family