The Office of the Honorary Consul of Mongolia in St Petersburg has hosted a ceremony of awarding government awards to St Petersburg residents who have made a great contribution to the development of friendly relations between the two countries.

The ceremony was conducted by Dulamsuren Davaa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Russian Federation.. The awardees include staff members of St Petersburg University. The Order of the Polar Star has been awarded to: Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University; and Vladimir Uspenskii, Head of the Department of Mongolian and Tibetan Studies at St Petersburg University. The Medal of Friendship has been awarded to Mariia Petrova, Associate Professor in the Department of Mongolian and Tibetan ology at St Petersburg University. The awards were also presented to: Andrei Golovnev, Director of the Kunstkamera; Academician Irina Popova, Director of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Aleksei Bondarenko, Director of St Petersburg Roerich Family Museum and Institute; and staff members of St Petersburg museums.

The Order of the Polar Star is an award that recognises citizens who have succeeded in strengthening Mongolia's power, economy and culture. The Medal of Friendship is awarded for great contribution to the development and strengthening of brotherly friendship between peoples.

The event was held on the eve of the 100^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Mongolia, which will be celebrated on 5 October 2021.

As part of the celebration, we honour the preservers and researchers of our culture abroad: the staff members of museums, universities and research centres. We appreciate that you preserve our culture and pass on your knowledge to new generations.
Dulamsuren Davaa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Russian Federation

Mikhail Piotrovsky stressed that Mongolian studies in Russia is a very important part of Russian science in general and Russian Orientalism in particular.

I always encourage our students to remember how lucky they are to live in such a unique place. They have their own 'little Mongolia' within walking distance: the Hermitage, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, the Kunstkamera and St Petersburg University are the places where the treasures of Mongolian culture are preserved and presented to the world.
Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and Dean of the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University

Vasily Shestakov, Honorary Consul of Mongolia in St Petersburg and President of the International Sambo Federation, recalled that Mongolia and Russia recognised each other in 1921 and since then the relations between the two countries have been developing fruitfully, including cultural and sporting aspects.