DUSHANBE, June 24, 2008, Asia-Plus -- Visiting Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU) in Dushanbe.  

RTSU conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor upon the Moscow mayor at his meeting with teaching staff and students at RTSU that was held at the Poytakht Palace in Dushanbe on June 24. 

During the meeting, Mayor Luzhkov handed to RTSU Chancellor Mahmadyusuf Imomov a certificate for 500 books from the Moscow Central Library named after Nekrasov that will be delivered to Tajikistan during this year. 

The Moscow mayor promised to provide the university with new printing equipment for newspaper being published by its students.

Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev and Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Ramazan Abdulatipov also attended the meeting at the Poytakht Palace.   

Today, Luzhkov also visited the site for construction of the residential complex Poytakht-80 in the center of Dushanbe.

After that he held talks with his Dushanbe counterpart, Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev.  Their talks focused on state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation between the two cities.  On behalf of the Club of Friends of Moscow, Luzhkov bestowed the order “For the Benefit of Mankind” on Ubaidulloyev.  

            Luzhkov will leave Dushanbe for Moscow today.