Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Kalabukhov said in Milići that relations between Russia and Republika Srpska are strategic, describing the Russian and Serb peoples as brotherly and highlighting strong potential for further youth cooperation.
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-Serb Friendship Club “Bratske niti” (Brotherly Threads).
“We agreed to use all available mechanisms to bring our peoples even closer, given the friendly nature of our relations 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 Great Figures was organized ahead of April 12—the day when, in 1961, the Russian cosmonaut became the first human in history to orbit the Earth aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1.
“After losing around 30 million people in the genocide carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II, we managed to recover and, just 12 years later, launch the first satellite, and four years after that, send a man into space. This is proof of the immense potential of our state and people,” Kalabukhov said.
The ambassador expressed gratitude to the municipality of Milići and the Boksit company, which built the Park of Great Figures in 2009, noting that, to his knowledge, this is the only monument to Gagarin in this part of the region.
Mayor Savić thanked the ambassador for his visit and emphasized that the goal of the local community is to strengthen connections between 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 particularly meaningful that students attended today’s ceremony and had the chance to speak with the ambassador,” Savić said.
During his visit to the Russian-Serb Friendship Club “Bratske niti,” Kalabukhov learned more about the organization led by Russian and Serb language professor Jovana Ćirković.
Club member Ljubica Savić, a high school student 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.
Source: RTRS
