CHURKIN'S BUST UNVEILED IN EAST SARAJEVO

EAST SARAJEVO, JULY 8 /SRNA/ - Russian Ambassador to BiH Igor Kalabukhov and East Sarajevo Mayor Ljubiša Ćosić today unveiled a bust of the former Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin, in gratitude for his veto, as Russia's representative at the UN, of the British resolution on Srebrenica, thereby preventing the unjust labeling of the Serbian people as genocidal.

Churkin's wife, Irina, also attended the unveiling. In her address, she thanked Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and Ćosić for their support in organizing the event and installing the bust in honor of her husband. Kalabukhov said that this bust is yet another confirmation of the historical and spiritual roots of cooperation and friendship between the Serbian and Russian peoples. He expressed special gratitude to President Dodik and Mayor Ćosić for preserving the memory of Churkin, noting that it has become customary to lay wreaths at Churkin's bust in East Sarajevo on February 10 – Russian Diplomats' Day. Srđan Amidžić, envoy of the President of Republika Srpska, said that Churkin was a friend of the Serbs and all peoples of BiH, who, through his actions, chose to stand for justice and did not allow the Serbian people to be humiliated. By doing so, Amidžić emphasized, Churkin sent a message to all people in BiH, including Bosniaks and Croats, that this is the formula for BiH to function: it can only survive if there is mutual respect among all. Amidžić said that the bust symbolizes the friendship between the Russian and Serbian peoples, which is based not only on cultural and religious ties, but also on traditional universal values. Ćosić stated that Churkin was the man who, on behalf of the Russian state, said a decisive "no" ten years ago by vetoing the British resolution that attempted to label the Serbian people as genocidal. "For a people who endured one of the greatest genocides of the 20th century to be given such a label in international circles would be contrary to justice. That is why, after Churkin's death, we erected this monument as a sign of deep gratitude to our Russian brothers, without intending to offend anyone," Ćosić emphasized.