MOSCOW, 29 September (BelTA) – Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov presented state awards to Russian high-ranking officials and representatives of media companies on 29 September. The award ceremony was held at the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow, BelTA has learned.
Among the awardees were Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergei Naryshkin (Order of Honor), First Vice Premier Igor Shuvalov (Order of Friendship of Peoples), and Vice Premier Arkady Dvorkovich (Order of Friendship of Peoples). They received the awards in recognition of personal contribution to the preparation of the Treaty of the Eurasian Economic Union, intensification of integration processes, and development of economic cooperation between Belarus and Russia.
Besides, the list of awardees included General Director of the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper Pavel Negoitsa (Order of Honor), Rossiyskaya Gazeta Editor-in-Chief Vladislav Fronin (Order of Francysk Skaryna), and Editor-in-Chief of the Soyuz. Belarus-Russia newspaper Olga Gerasimenko (Medal of Francysk Skaryna) in recognition of a significant contribution to the creation of the common information space of Belarus and Russia.
“Whatever area we cooperate in, be it integration processes or the information space, we can always count on support, unbiased attitude, and friendliness. For some of our Russian friends today’s award is not the first Belarusian state award they get. This confirms their commitment to the principle of mutual support in the relations between Belarus and Russia,” Andrei Kobyakov pointed out.
Giving the high state honors to the Russian high-ranking officials and representatives of Russian media corps attests to the special relations between the two countries, Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergei Naryshkin noted. “We are the closest and most reliable partners in economy, humanitarian affairs, defense, and security. I am confident that the Belarus-Russia partnership will continue developing,” he emphasized.