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Medvedev awards state awards to outstanding citizens

When the ceremony was drawing to an end Medvedev traditionally raised a glass of champagne to success of every laureate of state awards

MOSCOW, May 3 (Itar-Tass) — Outgoing President Medvedev has awarded high state awards to a group of outstanding citizens on Thursday. The awarding ceremony was held in the run-up to the celebrations of the 67th anniversary of victory in WWII; therefore, WWII veterans enjoyed special attention at the ceremony.

The Order of Alexander Nevsky was awarded to WWII veteran Vasily Petrov who still works at the Russian Defense Ministry. The Order of Honor was awarded to WWII veteran Alexei Sorokin, who still works as chief expert at an analytical department of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Medvedev said he has signed a decree that awards the Ushakov Medal to a big group of WWII veterans - citizens of foreign countries, who took part in WWII legendary northern convoys.

All those invited to the awarding ceremony are well- respected people, representatives of science, industry, doctors, workers - all of them are highly distinguished people in their profession, Medvedev said. "I hope that the chronicles of your success will set an example to a big number of our people. I presume this is the pedagogical sense of the awarding ceremony," Medvedev stressed.

The last awarding ceremony Dmitry Medvedev chaired as Russia’s outgoing president was one of the longest and most impressive events. A total of 52 laureates of high state awards were invited to the Kremlin Catherine Hall. A representative of the Kremlin protocol department told Itar-Tass that the awarding ceremony had been expected to be very impressive even before the ceremony began. "It is a rare thing to see so many outstanding workers of art and culture together," he said.

Dmitry Khoroshevtsev known in the Kremlin as the " voice" of the president described the awarding ceremony as memorable. Khoroshevtsev said that Medvedev’s establishing the Order of the Great Martyr St. Catherine was a historic event.

The "voice of the president" admitted that he always enjoyed working in a duet with the famous Presidential Orchestra which imbues the Kremlin Catherine Hall with a joyful spirit and makes people happy as it plays a particular piece of world best music in honor of every awarded laureate.

When the ceremony was drawing to an end Medvedev traditionally raised a glass of champagne to success of every laureate of state awards.

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