The Indian Prime Minister Modi will receive the highest civilian honour of Russia on Tuesday. He will be presented with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, in a ceremony at St Catherine's Hall of the Moscow Kremlin. It was originally granted to him in 2019 for his contributions to the development of strategic ties between Russia and India.

The Order is considered the highest civilian honour of Russia and was established by Tsar Peter the Great in 1698, honouring Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus and patron saint of Russia. The order is only awarded to the most outstanding civilian or military service.

highest civilian honour
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The Russian Embassy in India, posted in 2019 on Twitter, "now known as X", "On April 12, @narendramodi was decorated with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle for exceptional services in promoting special & privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India and friendly relations between the Russian and Indian peoples. @mfa_russia @MEAIndia @IndEmbMoscow".

Significance of the Award

The Russian President also acknowledged PM Modi's great achievement in building friendly ties with Russia. He then posted on X, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Order of St Andrew for outstanding achievements in promoting partnership with Russia".

Acknowledgement and Reaction

PM Modi replied to it by saying, "Honoured to receive this prestigious award. I thank President Putin and the people of Russia. The 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."

It is his first visit to Russia since he was elected for a record third consecutive term. The last time Modi visited Russia was in 2019, during a forum he attended in Vladivostok.

During his two-day visit for the 22nd Indi-Russia annual summit, PM Modi will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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