The Pushkin Medal was awarded to two Cuban personalities in an event in the Russian Embassy in Havana. They were the famous writer doctor Julio Travieso Serrano, the author of the much awarded book El Polvo y el Oro (Dirt and Gold), among others and doctor Teresita Urra, famous specialist in Russian language and the current chief of the Russian Department from the Foreign Language Faculty of Havana University.

Previously in Moscow, the current Cuban Ambassador in Russia, Jorge Martí Martínez had been decorated with the same distinction.

This event was presided by the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Republic in Cuba, Mr. Andrei Dimitrev and the cultural attaché from the Embassy, Mr. Alexei Polikin, as well as several personalities from the cultural field in our country, among them the rector of Havana University, Rubén Sardolla, the president of the Cuban Book Institute, Iroel Sánchez, the vice-Minister for Culture, Fernando Rojas, among other Cuban employees and specialists.

This distinction is given by the Russian State with the agreement of the Duma (parliament) and through a decree signed by the President of the Russian Republic Mr. Vladimir Putin to forty personalities in the world of politics and culture, among them several higher level leaders such as Jiang Zeming, Li Peng, Vaclav Klaus and Stepan Music, apart from some Latin American diplomats, professors and journalists, because of their valuable personal contribution to culture and books, the spreading of the Russian language and the development of the cultural links between their respective countries and Russia.

In his speech, Ambassador Andrei Dimitrev considered the contribution of the Cuban guests of honor to the development of the relationship between the cultures from both countries and highlighted his personal contribution in the spreading in our country of the Russian language.

Both decorated personalities, also expressed the honor this decoration meant for them and defended a greater spreading of Russian culture in our country.

Professor Teresita Urra pointed out the honor the received decoration means for her and defended a greater spreading of Russian culture in our country.

The writer Julio Travieso, thanked the medal given to him with moving words. He remembered his life in Russia and demonstrated the importance Russian literature had and has for him Russian literature and specially, two writers M. Bulgakov, who he has translated into Spanish and A. Pushkin of whose work he made a short summary.

(Cubarte)