Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK decided to award the Order of Kim Il Sung, the highest order of the DPRK, to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, who has performed great exploits in developing the good neighbourly relations between the DPRK and Russia with long historical traditions into the strategic partnership and invincible ties of alliance as required by the new era.

An awards ceremony took place on June 19.

Present there were Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Nobak, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and President's Press Secretary Dmitri Peskov, Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov, Minister of Defence Andrei Beloussov and other suite members, and Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Alexandr Matsegora.

Saying that he deems it a great honour to award the Order of Kim Il Sung, the highest order of the DPRK, to Comrade Vladimir Putin, who has rendered distinguished services for the development of the DPRK-Russia relations and their future, as the highest expression of the DPRK government's and people's profound respect for and trust in him, Comrade Kim Jong Un read out the joint decision of the WPK Central Committee, the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK on awarding the order, and personally awarded the order to him.

Putin expressed deep thanks to Kim Jong Un and the DPRK government and people. -0-