Turkmenistan has bestowed one of its most important state awards on the wife of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, claiming she has helped to improve relations with the Central Asian nation.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said at a ceremony Monday that Svetlana Medvedeva was also being recognized for inspiring spirituality and morality among young people.
Medvedeva isn't known to have ever shown any particular interest in Turkmenistan, raising suspicions that granting her the Ruhubelent Order may be an attempt by the former Soviet republic to curry favor with Moscow.
(AP)
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