UFA, October 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Ufa with Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and a cousin of the current President of the UAE.

The Russian leader awarded Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan with the Order of Friendship for his great contribution to popularization of chess in Russia and abroad.

Sheikh Sultan was elected President of the ACF in 2006 and unanimously re-elected to this post in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. He supported the Russian Chess Federation in the process of transition from the European Chess Union to the ACF. He personally visited many countries of the Asian Chess Federation and met with their heads of state and ministers to resolve the issue of the transition. As a result, at the ACF congress, 29 delegates voted for the entry of the Russian Chess Federation, one voted against, and six abstained.