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The head of state declared that in today’s Russia, National Unity Day is a holiday intended for all members of civil society.

The President warmly welcomed Russians from the near abroad and overseas present at the reception and said that Russia is open to all people who identify with its culture.

Vladimir Putin presented state awards to Russian and foreign language and literature teachers, philologists, academics, art critics, and publishers of Russian-language publications for their big contribution towards making Russian language and culture better known. Vladimir Putin presented a Friendship Award to the first vice president of the International Council of Russian Compatriots (USA), Vladimir Kvint, and the head of the Education Committee of Beijing, Limin Liu. The head of the department of the representative of the Russian Foreign Centre (Roszarubezhtsentr) in the Federal Republic of Germany and teacher of Russian language courses and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Berlin, Nikolai Isaev, professor of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Kyoto University Sangyo Mitsusi Kitadjyo, high school teacher of Russian language in the settlement of Krylovo in the Kaliningrad Region, Evgenii Slavgorodskii, and editor in chief of the weekly Russian social and political newspaper Lithuanian Courier, Elena Iurkiavichena, received Pushkin medals. The President also thanked the editor in chief of New Magazine, Marina Adamovich, chairman of the Association of Specialists of Russian Philology of Slovakia, Eva Kollarova and president of the company Global Language Services Inc., George Fletcher.

At the reception the President talked with compatriots from the USA, Australia, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Georgia, the Baltic countries, France, Kazakhstan and many other states.

Vladimir Putin also met Prince Dmitrii Romanov and his wife. The Prince who currently resides in Denmark thanked the head of the state for the decision and assistance in transferring the ashes of the Russian Empress Maria Fedorovna.

In turn, the President noted that he is grateful to the Romanov family for executing the Empress’ desire. Vladimir Putin also said that when he was in St Petersburg a short while ago he went to the Peter and Paul Cathedral and laid a bouquet of flowers on Maria Fedorovna’s tomb.