Dmitry Medvedev awarded the Order of Friendship to Andrejs Zagars, General Director of the Latvian National Opera, for his great contribution to strengthening Russian-Latvian cultural ties.
The President also awarded the Order of Honour to Raimonds Pauls, composer and member of Latvia’s Saeima (parliament), and the Order of Friendship to Arvids Barsevskis, rector of Daugavpils University. Mr Pauls and Mr Barsevskis were decorated for their great contribution to strengthening and developing Russian-Latvian cultural ties and popularizing the Russian language in Latvia.