MOSCOW, July 9 Awarding the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi The First-Called Church reflects Russia's gratitude for its contribution to strengthening the friendship between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
“Dear Mr. Prime Minister, dear friend, awarding you the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle reflects the sincere gratitude of the Russian side for the significant contribution that you make to strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between our states and peoples,” Putin said at the award ceremony in Kremlin. 
He noted that Modi has always actively advocated for expanding contacts with Russia and, while still the chief minister of the state of Gujarat, put forward the initiative to establish sister-city relations with Russian regions — in this case, with the Astrakhan region.
«Having been the head of the Indian government for ten years now, you have really contributed to the fact that Russian-Indian relations have acquired the character of a particularly privileged strategic partnership. With your direct support, major Russian-Indian projects in the trade, economic and military-technical spheres, in nuclear and hydrocarbon energy, in the field of high technology and space are being successfully implemented,» Putin said.