Acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Popov was conferred the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, with officer cross. This is the highest award given by Hungary to foreign citizens. The order was awarded for special merits and personal contribution to developing the bilateral relations between Hungary and Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the award ceremony was held on the occasion of the celebration of 165 years of the Hungarian Revolution (1848-1849) and was followed by a Hungarian pop music concert given by the band “Tarisznyas” from Romania’s Cluj-Napoca. The concert was organized by the Embassy of Hungary in Chisinau. Hungarian Ambassador in Chisinau Matyas Szilagy said the traditional friendship relations between the two states, the unconditional support provided by Hungary for strengthening Moldova’s statehood and the progress made by the country on the path to European integration as well as the intense political dialogue enabled to develop strategic partnership relations between the two countries.