The Unity of Orthodox Peoples award of the Russian Orthodox Church was conferred upon Patriarch Ignatius IV the day before. Mr Putin congratulated him on the high award and expressed personal gratitude for his active promotion of international and inter-church dialogue.
The award was established by the Unity of the Orthodox Peoples Foundation, an international organisation that was set up on the initiative of Patriarch Alexis II in 1995 to promote the spiritual fraternity of Orthodox peoples. The award is given every year to foremost statesmen, religious and community activists.