President Pranab Mukherjee has been awarded Cote d’Ivoire’s (Ivory Coast) highest honour, the Grand Cross National Order of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. Mukherjee’s press secretary said that this is the first such honour for Mukherjee. “I consider it (the award) to be emblematic of the long standing mutual friendship between the peoples of our two countries,” Mukherjee said.