MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 25, 2004. (RIA NOVOSTI). Russian president Vladimir Putin awarded Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces general Henri Bentegeat with Order of Friendship, the press service of the head of the Russian state told RIA Novosti.
The decree signed by the president says: "To award army general Bentegeat, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the French Republic with the Order of Friendship for great contribution to the development of the Russian-French cooperation."
