Nino Burdzhanadze (1964- ) and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (1952- ) stand together at the dedication of the new memorial at Poklonnaya Gora.
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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is convinced that the future of Georgian-Russian relations is a good, that it will be a neighbourly and true partnership. “I’m sure no one could deceive and embitter the Russian and Georgian peoples, thus breaking the traditional strong human spiritual bonds connecting us, hence, in future, I see a good, neighbourly, equal, and true partnership existing between Russia and Georgia. We are sincerely striving to make this happen”, Vladimir Vladimirovich said, in a speech at the formal dedication of the monument We Were United in the Fight against Fascism at the Poklonnaya Gora Memorial Complex.
Mr Putin recalled that, exactly one year ago, many TV channels broadcast horrific footage of the Saakashvili junta’s destruction of the Kutaisi Memorial to Military Glory. “This shameful act of state vandalism caused a negative response and sharp indignation throughout the world, above all, in Georgia, because people despise those who try to destroy history, the more so when some try to deny the memory of their own heroes, to turn away from their own history, from age-old traditions of friendship and mutual support”, he said with some emphasis.
On 19 December 2009, the Georgian régime blew up the Kutaisi Memorial to Military Glory, a monument honouring the Soviet soldiers who fought in the Second Great Patriotic War. Prime Minister Putin, along with the Union of Georgians in Russia, as well as a number of other public organisations, proposed that a replica of the Kutaisi memorial be built at the Poklonnaya Gora Memorial Complex, and it was decided to do so. A competition was held to select a design, and the board chose a sculptural ensemble entitled The Reichstag.
“The monument at Poklonnaya Gora is not only our tribute to the immortal feats of our ancestors, but also it’s evidence of our common will, of our determination to cherish the truth about our heroes who defended it against cynicism, barbarism, and lies, who stood together against nationalism, xenophobia, and extremism, no matter what superficially attractive slogans were used”, Vladimir Vladimirovich said. According to the prime minister, the new monument is a symbol of the unity of peoples of different nationalities and faiths, “who survived the most terrible conflict in the history of humanity, it’s a reminder that we were truly united in the struggle against fascism. Today, we bow our heads before the memory of those who paid the ultimate price for the victory… their lives”.
Mr Putin said that the common work to create this monument fostered dialogue between ordinary citizens from both countries. He expressed appreciation to all who took part in the planning of the monument, as well as those who contributed funds for its construction. “Heartfelt assistance came not only from Russians and Georgians, but also from other peoples of the CIS and from a dozen other states. Once again, we saw the attitude of our peoples towards our common history, our shared values; no one can not belittle or bring down the spiritual and moral legacy of the heroes of World War II, for the vast majority, that’s still a sacred thing”, he said. He added, “We won the Victory in the Great Patriotic War not only by force of arms, above all, it was due to our unity of faith, and to the courage and purpose shown by our many peoples”.
The dedication ceremony at Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow was also attended by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Vladimir Dolgov, the chairman of the Moscow City Council of War and Labour Veterans, Mikhail Khubutia, the president of the Union of Georgians in Russia, Nino Burzhanadze, the leader of the United Georgia, and Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia. As he stated at the dedication ceremony, Mayor Sobyanin said that the monument symbolises the unity of the peoples and, at the same time, is a rebuke to Saakashvili’s vandalism. “This monument has two parts… the first takes us back to May 1945, when we hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag, and the second reminds us of the barbaric event of a year ago in Kutaisi, when the Memorial of Glory was blown up”, Mayor Sobyanin said. In his opinion, the monument is a meditation, a symbol of a shared history, where different peoples, united by a common idea, performed feats of great bravery, and those who try to erase this memory “are doomed to a swift oblivion”.
Vladimir Dolgov, the chairman of the Moscow City Council of War and Labour Veterans, agreed with the mayor’s sentiments, describing the destruction of the Memorial in Kutaisi as a “vile attempt to erase from the history of the nations the defeat of fascism, an important and glorious page. I am confident that the people and history will bring into disrepute those who vandalised the Memorial of Military Glory”. In turn, Mikhail Khubutia, the President of the Union of Georgians in Russia, thanked the Russian authorities for their reconstruction of the monument and preservation of historical truth. He noted that the Russian and Georgian peoples have centuries-old ties of friendship. “No one shall interrupt this relationship”, he said. Mr Khubutia stressed that relatives of Aleksei Beresta, Nikolai Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria {the Red Army soldiers who placed the Victory Banner on the roof of the Reichstag: editor} attended the dedication ceremony, as part of the monument depicts the hoisting of the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. “This new memorial will serve not only as a tribute to our forefathers, it will also deepen the friendship of future generations of Russians and Georgians”, according to Mr Khubutia.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Nino Burdzhanadze, the leader of the Georgian opposition movement United Georgia. She had participated in the formal dedication of the monument We Were United in the Fight against Fascism, along with Mr Putin, at the Poklonnaya Gora Memorial Complex in Moscow. This monument was erected in response to the destruction of the Kutaisi Memorial to Military Glory in Georgia by the Saakashvili junta.
Vladimir Vladimirovich hoped that his visitor from Georgia liked the new monument in Moscow. He remembered that she had taken part in the selection process, helping to choose the current design from the many proposals on offer. “I think that this turned out to be a very good pick”, Mr Putin said. He emphasised that he very much hoped that the opening of the monument “would become a good symbolic move on the way of searching for a mutually beneficial decision normalising bilateral intergovernmental relations”. At present, Russia and Georgia has no diplomatic relations. Tbilisi broke off relations after Moscow recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Ms Burdzhanadze thanked the prime minister “for explicitly stating the importance of bilateral, normal, and full relations between Russia and Georgia. It’s very important. Of course, we desire that the building of this monument would usher in an era of normal ties taking into account the due interest of both peoples, relations that would, in principle, benefit both the Georgian and Russian peoples, because, it goes without saying that abnormal relations are not conducive to good neighbourly relations, nor do they resolve the problems that still exist in our relationship”.
21 December 2010
RIA-Novosti
http://rian.ru/politics/20101221/311583856.html
http://rian.ru/politics/20101221/311584390.html
Editor’s Note:
The worm is certainly turning… the Latvian President comes hat-in-hand to Moscow… Nino Burdzhanadze stands alongside VVP… President Lukashenko faced down and dispersed a CIA-led mob of provocateurs… the GOP stooge Yushchenko was toppled by the populist Viktor Yanukovich… the CIA torture facility was tossed out of Lithuania… need I go on? In short, the inane neoliberal Republican policy on the territory of the former Soviet Union is torn to shreds, and in rather short order, too.
None of this was reported in the lapdog American press… certainly not by Fox News… or by CNN either! One can now see why the Estonian neo-Nazis are having a hissy fit. They feel alone… they feel isolated… so, they struck out at an innocent Russian NGO with a spotless record of transparency and honesty.
This is GOOD news… it means that the GOP opium dream of world hegemony is falling apart… if it ever had real existence in the first place. America’s claim to be the “sole superpower” was nothing but boastful hot air, and airy-fairy “conservative” deficits funded on tick picked up by the Chinese, Japanese, and Russians funded it. Americans are spoilt brats who throw tantrums if they’re not told that they’re the best and brightest (especially the Tea Party supporters of Sarah Palin… a dreary little news reader with no more substance than candy floss)… and, now, their fecklessness is coming home to roost… and the chickens are VERY heavy, indeed.
Don’t open a bottle yet, though… Americans (especially Republicans) are particularly vicious when they’re vexed and crossed. A good example would be Francis Foster in the comboxes on Stokoe’s website… he offered no evidence for his specious accusations against Russia… I offer you photos and URLs to the originals… one of these is NOT the other, is it? Another is John Whiteford, who calls people “commie zombies” if they don’t suit him… Mr Whiteford, I’m PROUD to be one of the “commie zombies”… don’t mess with us!
Things are looking up at present…
BMD
Barbara-Marie Drezhlo
Voices from Russia 
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