PM Modi conferred with Uzbek top honour

Tashkent: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred with Uzbekistan’s highest honour for foreign leaders, the ‘Oliy Darajali Do’stlik’ Order, which he dedicated to the “enduring” bond between New Delhi and Tashkent.

The Uzbek honour adds to a list of top state and civilian awards conferred on Modi by close to three dozen countries in recognition of his leadership and contribution to bilateral ties.

The Prime Minister was conferred with the honour by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. “Honoured to receive the Oliy Darajali Do’stlik Order. I dedicate this to the enduring bond between India and Uzbekistan,” Modi said in a social media post.

In his remarks, Modi said receiving the award was a matter of great pride for him. He said the people of India are very familiar with the word used for the award — ‘Dostlik’. “There is hardly a family in India where the word ‘Dostlik’ is not spoken a hundred times a day. Today, you have truly brought out the essence of it. ‘Dostlik’ means friendship.