On December 16, 2009, V.I. Matvienko, Governor of St.Petersburg, was bestowed a state award of the Republic of Finland – Grand Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
On December 16, 2009, V.I. Matvienko, Governor of St.Petersburg, was bestowed a state award of the Republic of Finland – Grand Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, approved the decision about the award on December 1, 2009, mentioning the great achievements of V.I. Matvienko in diversifying the economy of St.Petersburg, preservation of European cultural heritage in the city, and strengthening the ties with European partners, as well as promoting the cooperation in environmental projects aimed at improvement of natural environment of the Gulf of Finland.
The order was handed by Matti Anttonen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland in Russia. The Ambassador emphasized the contribution of V.I. Matvienko to the development of cooperation between Finland and St.Petersburg. The Governor expressed her appreciation for the high reward and asked the Ambassador to convey her gratitude to President Tarja Halonen.
V.I. Matvienko stressed that she considered this award as recognition of the efforts of St.Petersburg Government and all Petersburgers in strengthening the cooperation between Finland and Russia.
Source: Committee for External Relations of St.Petersburg