KALABUKHOV: RUSSIA - SRPSKA RELATIONS STRATEGIC

MILIĆI, APRIL 9 /SRNA/ – Russian Ambassador to BiH Igor Kalabukhov has stated today in Milići that relations between Russia and Republika Srpska are strategic, that the Russian and Serbian peoples are brotherly and that there is significant potential for further ties between young people.

During his visit to Milići, Kalabukhov met with Mayor Marko Savić, after which he laid a wreath at the monument to Yuri Gagarin and visited the newly established Russian-Serbian Friendship Club "Brotherly Threads". “We agreed to use all available mechanisms to further strengthen our ties, given the friendly nature of relations between our peoples and the strategic cooperation between Russia and Republika Srpska,” Kalabukhov told reporters. He noted that the wreath-laying ceremony at the Gagarin monument in the Park of Russian Greats was organized ahead of April 12 - the day in 1961 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, became the first human in history to orbit the Earth. "After losing around 30 million people in World War II in the genocide carried out by Nazi Germany, we managed to rise again and, just 12 years after such devastation, launch the first satellite, and four years later send a man into space. This demonstrates the extraordinary capabilities of our state and people", Kalabukhov said. The Russian ambassador expressed gratitude to the Municipality of Milići and the company "Boksit", which built the Park of Greats in 2009, noting that, to his knowledge, this is the only monument to Gagarin in this part of the region. Savić thanked the ambassador for his visit and emphasized that the goal of the local community is to strengthen connections among people. “Ambassador Kalabukhov informed me about opportunities for our students to study in the Russian Federation, which is an excellent opportunity for young people. It is especially gratifying that students attended today's wreath-laying ceremony and had the chance to speak with the ambassador,” Savić said. During his visit to the Russian-Serbian Friendship Club "Brotherly Threads", Kalabukhov was introduced to the organization's work, led by Russian and Serbian language professor Jovana Ćirković. Club member and high school student Ljubica Savić, who welcomed the ambassador by reciting verses by Sergei Yesenin, said the visit was a great honor for all young members working to promote Russian culture and language.