Russia awards Narendra Modi its highest order, PM thanks Putin
Russia awarded PM Narendra Modi the Order of St Andrew the Apostle, the highest and the oldest Russian state decoration
In Short
- PM Modi awarded for helping boost India-Russia ties
- Order of St Andrew the Apostle was established in 17th century
- The award is Russia's highest state decoration
Russia has awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi Order of St Andrew the Apostle, the highest order of the Russian Federation. PM Modi was awarded the order for "exceptional services in promoting special & privileged strategic partnership between" Russia and India, the Russian embassy in India said in a tweet.
PM Modi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was "honoured to receive this prestigious award". "Foundations of India-Russia friendship are deep & the future of our partnership is bright," PM Modi said, adding, "President Putin remains a source of great strength for the India-Russia friendship. Under his visionary leadership, bilateral and multilateral cooperation between our nations has scaled new heights."
Honoured to receive this prestigious award. I thank President Putin and the people of Russia.
Foundations of India-Russia friendship are deep & the future of our partnership is bright.
Extensive cooperation between our nations has led to extraordinary outcomes for our citizens. https://t.co/4ppEC7ZAWe Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 12, 2019
According to the Russian government, the Order of St Andrew the Apostle was established in the 17th century by Peter the Great around 1699 and is the oldest of Russia's state decorations.
The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is both the highest and the oldest state decoration of Russia. The order was abolished in the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1918 and was re-established in 1998.
On April 12, @narendramodi was decorated with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle for exceptional services in promoting special & privileged strategic partnership between and and friendly relations between the Russian and Indian peoples.@mfa_russia @MEAIndia @IndEmbMoscow pic.twitter.com/jUFt5aawxw Russia in India (@RusEmbIndia) April 12, 2019
According to the Russian government, "The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is awarded to outstanding politicians and public figures, as well as other citizens of Russia, for exceptional services..."
In 2017, Chinese president Xi Jinping was awarded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle.
With the Russian award, PM Narendra Modi has now been honoured with around seven top global awards. PM Modi has previously been awarded the United Arab Emirates's top honour as well as of countries including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Afghanistan.
PM Modi has also been awarded a United Nations honour.