Moscow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was officially awarded the ‘Order of St. Andrew the Apostle’ by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. PM Modi has been awarded this honor for his contribution towards promoting bilateral relations between the two countries. President Putin honored Prime Minister Modi at a special ceremony at St. Andrew’s Hall in the Kremlin.
The award was announced in 2019. Prime Minister Modi is the first Indian leader to receive this honor. In the year 1698, Tsar Peter the Great established the ‘Order of St. Andrew the Apostle’ in honor of St. Andrew, the first preacher of Jesus and the patron saint of Russia.
While accepting the award, Prime Minister Modi dedicated it to the people of India and the traditional bond of friendship between India and Russia. According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, he said that this honor underlines the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.
After receiving the award, Modi said, “I am heartily grateful to you for honouring me with Russia’s highest civilian honour. This honour is not just mine, it is the honour of 140 crore Indians. It is an honour for the centuries-old and deep friendship and mutual trust between India and Russia.”
The Prime Minister said that under the leadership of President Putin, India-Russia relations have strengthened in all directions and reached new heights. He said, “The foundation of strategic relations between the two countries that you laid has become even stronger with the passage of time. Our mutual cooperation based on people-to-people participation is becoming the hope and guarantee of a better future for our people.”
PM Modi later said on ‘X’, “I am honoured to receive the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. I dedicate it to the people of India.” Earlier, President Putin congratulated PM Modi for Russia’s highest honour and wished him good health, success.
Tags: Narendra Modi, Russia, Vladimir Putin
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 9, 2024, 18:32 IST