Boris Yeltsin Gets Demidov Fund Award

Boris Yeltsin met Saturday with Eduard Rossel, governor of the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals, where Boris Yeltsin hails from, at his dacha near Moscow. Vladimir Shevchenko, head of protocol of Russia's first president, told RIA Novosti that Rossel handed Yeltsin a Nikita Demidov badge, the top award of the International Demidov Fund. The Demidovs were a dynasty of Russian industrialists founded in the 18th century; they built over 50 steel mills that produced 40 percent of the nation's cast iron. Russia's first president was honored with the award given his contribution to the strengthening if Russia's statehood. During the 2-hour meeting, Yeltsin asked about the situation in and development prospects of the region. In addition, Shevchenko said the two men reminisced about the years they worked together in the Sverdlovsk Region.

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