ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 28 2005

Putin awards Order of Friendship to Lord Mayor of Helsinki

MOSCOW, March 28 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has
awarded the Order of Friendship to Lord Mayor of Helsinki Eva Riitta
Siitonen for development and strengthening of Russo-Finnish
relations, according to information released on the official Internet
site of the Russian president on Monday.

It is not the first award given to a representative of a foreign
country. Previously, the Order of Friendship had been mostly awarded
to citizens of the CIS.

Since the beginning of 2005 the Russian president has signed decrees
awarding similar Orders to ten citizens of Belarus, two citizens of
Azerbaijan, including Azerbaijani Culture Minister Polad Byul- Byul-
Ogly, and two more similar awards were given to a citizen of Armenia
and a citizen of Ukraine.