Sailors from sunken submarine Kursk commemorated in Kursk

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KURSK, July 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Wreaths and flowers were laid to the
tombs of the sailors from the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk at the
Memorial to Fallen Warriors in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) in the
City of Military Glory Kursk on Sunday. Regional and city officials, naval
veterans, relatives of demised submariners, naval cadets and Kursk
residents were participating in the commemoration ceremony.
More than 3,000 Soviet soldiers, who died for the liberation of Kursk
from Nazi invaders are buried at the memorial. Twelve submariners from the
nuclear submarine Kursk, including seven submariners from the Kursk Region
are also buried there. The monument with the white statue of the mourning
angel - the immortal soul symbol on the top was built in commemoration of
the deceased crew of the Kursk submarine, which sank on August 12, 2000.
"Kursk has a vast experience of cooperation with the Russian Navy,"
Kursk Deputy Mayor Olga Germanova told Itar-Tass. "Our city had strong
friendship ties with the nuclear submarine Kursk. After the submarine
sinking the relations were not interrupted with the Northern Fleet,
Northern Fleet's sailors are always desired guests in our city. At the
initiative of Kursk residents patronage ties were established with the
corvette Steregushchy, which had been recently included in the Baltic
Fleet," she underlined.
Naval veterans living in Kursk are engaged in major patriotic work,
she noted. Kursk secondary school No 18 was named after the hero of the
Russian-Japanese War Lieutenant Alexander Sergeyev, who was the commander
of the Steregushchy destroyer that repeated the feat of Varyag cruiser. A
naval cadet academy was opened and works successfully at the school.
Remembrance services in commemoration of perished Kursk sailors are held
at the St. Archangel Michael Church in Kursk in the Days of Russian
Military Glory. The Alley of Glory is laid down in Kursk, where 118
birches were planted, symbolizing the crewmen of the sunken submarine
Kursk.

.Political-public meeting turned in RF-Slovenia friendship manifest.

LJUBJANA, July 26 (Itar-Tass) -- A meeting between Russian and
Slovenian politicians and public figures at the Russian Orthodox Chapel,
which was built under the Vrsic mountain pass in the Julian Alps in
northwestern Slovenia, turned in a manifest of Russian-Slovenian
friendship. Archbishop of Poltava and Mirgorod Filipp led a remembrance
service in commemoration of Russian prisoners of war perished there in
1916. Slovenian Catholic hierarchs and a Muslim Mufti attended the
religious service for the repose of soldiers and officers of the Russian
Imperial Army. State Duma Deputy Speaker Lyobov Sliska headed the Russian
official delegation. Slovenian Parliament Speaker Pavel Gantar led the
Slovenian delegation.
"At the meetings in front of the Russian chapel we are forging
relations between our nations, I believe, these ties are getting stronger
and stronger every year," Slovenian Culture Minister Majda Sirca, who is
an honorary patron of the festivities, said.
"The Slovenian leadership, the Russia-Slovenia Friendship Society,
residents of the Kranjska Gora community preserve carefully this church,
which was built at the place where Russian prisoners of war died in the
hurricane years in the First World War, and cherish the fair memory about
our compatriots. We give you a low bow for this," Lyobov Sliska
underlined. She recalled that "the years 2009-2010 turned into an
important period in the development of Russian-Slovenian relations" with
the decisive influence of the meetings between the top officials of our
countries, particularly at the recent St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
Speaking on the attendance of Slovenian President Danilo Turk at the Great
Victory Parade in Moscow this year, the State Duma vice-speaker noted,
"All are aware of the contribution made by the Slovenian people in the
common struggle with fascism. I am glad to note that we come out together
for the preservation of our common heritage and oppose the distortion of
the events in the Second World War and the post-war period."
Lyobov Sliska noted the activities of the Forum of Slavic Cultures and
its presentation in Slovenia in October 2009 in Strasbourg during Slovenia'
s presidency in the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. "This event
showed graphically that Russia, Slovenia and other Slavic countries, even
being in various geopolitical formats, are having vast opportunities to
protect their common strategic interests," she pointed out. "I am
convinced that the Russian chapel, which turned into the symbol of
spiritual unity of Russians and Slovenians, will unite us for many years
to come and will contribute to stronger friendship and further cooperation
between our countries," the State Duma deputy speaker added.
Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor, who was participating in the
festive ceremony, told Itar-Tass, "This day for me personally symbolizes
friendship between Slovenian and Russian nations. I consider it necessary
to attend the festivities at the Russian chapel to underscore the
importance of this friendship for me personally."
A reception was given in honour of Russian guests in the city of
Kranjska Gora (northwestern Slovenia) on behalf of the city mayor and the
Russia-Slovenia Friendship Society on Sunday.
Russian prisoners of war have built the Russian chapel in 1916 at the
altitude of 1,100 meters on the road connecting Kranjska Gora and the Soca
river valley. The Russian chapel was built in commemoration of 300 Russian
POWs, who were laying a road across the Vrsic pass and died under the
avalanche. The chapel has been restored repeatedly. "This monument of
architecture is unique, primarily since it is being maintained at people's
initiative all these years," Russian Ambassador to Slovenia Doku Zavgayev
told Itar-Tass.
At least 10,000 Russian solders and officers perished and died of
diseases at a camp for Russian POWs near Kranjska Gora from 1915 to 1917.
Their graves are scattered along the road there.
-0-baz