Russia's former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Yuri Trutnev won the Friendship Award from the Chinese government on Tuesday.

Trutnev, now an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, received the award from visiting Chinese Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian, who praised the Russian official for his contributions in promoting Sino-Russian cooperation on environmental protection.

China and Russia established the commission of environmental protection cooperation in 2006 under the framework of the regular meetings between the two countries' prime ministers, Zhou said.

So far, the two sides have set a model of bilateral cooperation on environmental protection which served to build a harmonious world, said Zhou, adding leaders from the two countries highly praised the achievements made by the commission.

During his chairmanship of the commission on the Russian side, Trutnev has made great efforts in facilitating bilateral cooperation, especially in help finding the solution toward the Songhua River water pollution problem in northeast China, which made him one of the winners of the award this year, said the Chinese official.

Trutnev, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for the award, pledging to focus and support Sino-Russian environmental protection cooperation in the future.

Established in 1950s, the Friendship Award is one of the highest awards granted by the Chinese government to foreigners who have made outstanding contributions to China's economic and social progress.

Since 1991, 1,249 foreigners from 65 countries became winners of the Friendship Award. This year, 50 foreigners from 22 countries received the award.

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