Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref was awarded with the 2nd degree Order of Saint Pious Prince Daniil of Moscow for his contribution to the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad, Russia's exclave on the Baltic Sea, Alla Borisenkova said.
Borisenkova said the order had been awarded at a meeting Saturday between Patriarch Alexy II and the leaders of the Kaliningrad region, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
Kaliningrad, previously known as Koenigsberg, was once the capital of the German province of East Prussia. The Potsdam conference of 1945 decided to annex a third of the former East Prussia, including Koenigsberg, to the USSR. In 1946, the region was renamed into Kaliningrad after Soviet party leader Mikhail Kalinin.
Borisenkova said Gref had arrived in Kaliningrad to participate in the celebrations of the region's anniversary. The economics minister will take part in the Cathedral's consecration Sunday, she said.
