The Archbishop of Canterbury was honored for his contributions to increasing the understanding and deepening the relationship of the UK and Russia. “The Order of Friendship” was awarded at a London ceremony attended by the Russian ambassador on behalf the President of Russia.
“Receiving the award at the Russian embassy, Dr Williams spoke of his lifelong interest in and affection for Russian culture.
He described the important role Russian literature played in forming his understanding of human spirituality and said he felt honoured to be involved in what he called the reconstruction of the Russian state.
In a BBC interview, Dr Williams said he became fascinated by Russian culture as a teenager after encountering the films of Sergei Eisenstein.”
From here.