MOSCOW-TALLINN, 21 June 2013 – Today, Estonia’s Ambassador to Russia Jüri Luik presented the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia Sergei Stepashin with an official medal and letter of appreciation of the Estonian National Audit Office for his contribution to the cooperation between the supreme audit institutions of the two countries and to the relationship between Estonia and Russia on a broader scale.
During the meeting with Sergei Stepashin, Jüri Luik emphasised the role of the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia in improving the relationships between the two countries. Stepashin thanked for the recognition, emphasised his own positive attitude towards Estonia and invited everyone to support positive developments in the relationship between the two countries. The conclusion reached at the meeting was that furthering the cooperation between the supreme audit institutions of Estonia and Russia would be beneficial for both countries.
The presentation of the honorary decoration took place at the expanded session of the College of the Accounts Chamber of Russia, which was attended by the management of the Accounts Chamber. Stepashin has been the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia since 2000.
The Estonian National Audit Office and the Accounts Chamber of Russia have cooperated in auditing the activities of the state authorities that guarantee the border crossings of goods and vehicles as well as guaranteeing environmental protection in Lake Peipus and sustainable use of transboundary bodies of water. In January this year, the then Auditor General of Estonia Mihkel Oviir and the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia met in St Petersburg, Russia, where they analysed the progress made in the solution of the problems highlighted in the parallel audit prepared by the two audit institutions. These audits were agreed on during the visit of the Chairman of the Russian Accounts Chamber to Estonia in 2010.
In March the Accounts Chamber of Russian awarded an honorary decoration to the then Auditor General Mihkel Oviir for his contribution to the development of the cooperation between the audit institutions of the two countries.
Background
Sergei Stepashin is a former Russian prime minister, preceded in his post by Yevgeni Primakov and succeeded by Vladimir Putin. Stepashin has also served as Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice and director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Federal Counterintelligence Service. His military rank is Colonel-General.
Stepashin has a doctorate in law and is a professor. He is very active in social circles – alongside other duties he is the president of the Russian Book Association and a member of the board of trustees of FC Dynamo. He is the co-chairman of the Russian Bar Association. Sergei Stepashin is also the Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and the chairman of the board of trustees of the Et Cetera Theatre in Moscow.
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The official medal of appreciation of the National Audit Office was established in 1997 to recognise Estonian statesmen and public figures as well as employees of the National Audit Office for their special merits or exceptional work in the development of the National Audit Office. The medal of appreciation is also awarded to recognise the heads of the supreme audit institutions of foreign countries and international organisations as well as the heads of international audit institutions for furthering the international cooperation of the National Audit Office.
The Auditor General of Canada, the Auditor General of the Netherlands and the Auditor General of Denmark are some of the people who have been awarded the medal in the past.
Photos of the meeting of Ambassador Jüri Luik and Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia Sergei Stepashin can be downloaded at XXXXXX.
The author of the photos is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Posted:
6/21/2013 2:03 PM
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Last Update:
11/10/2015 5:27 PM
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