Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Simonyan with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III Class during a ceremony in the Kremlin.
"I would like to share this award with millions of my compatriots who haven't yet been in this hall but work with no less dedication, no less diligence and no less patriotism. And I'm sure they will someday find themselves in this hall," Simonyan said during the state awards ceremony.