ONE MUST REMEMBER ABOUT REPRESSIONS BUT ONE MUST NOT SETTLE SCORES, PUTIN DECLARES
Remembering about repressions that occurred in the Soviet Union and the causes engendering them is necessary, but one must not push society again to the point of confrontation and call attention to scores, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared.
"We and our descendants must recall the tragedy of the repressions and the causes that engendered them, but this does not mean calling attention to scores; one must not push society again to the danger point of confrontation. Now it is important for all of us to rely on the values of trust and stability. It is only on this basis that we can resolve the issues that are faced by the society and country, Russia, which is ours alone," Putin said at a ceremony unveiling the memorial "Wall of Sorrow" on Academician Sakharov Prospect.
In conclusion he quoted words of Natalia Solzhenitsyna: "Know, remember, condemn, and only then forgive." "I fully subscribe to these words," the Russian leader said.
On a small stage next to the monument the president was joined by Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill and also the vice-chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Vladimir Lukin, who heads the council of the foundation of the perpetuation of the memory of victims of political repressions. Despite the drizzly rain, Putin and Lukin stood without hats. Most of the guests attending the event preferred to close their umbrellas during the speeches. At the conclusion of the event, Putin briefly conversed with the guests.
In the course of his speech the patriarch noted that the repressions that occurred will be considered for a long time. "But the year of the centennial of the revolution should become especially important for such comprehension," he said.
There cannot be a justification for the political repressions of the 1930s, Putin declared. He emphasized that the grandiose idea of building a free and just world led to blood letting and lawlessness and it is necessary to understand how such a thing could happen.
The patriarch emphasized that the danger of society's departure from moral norms leads to crises. "Today we all must realize that there will not be a shining future if the pursuit of such a future collapses and the moral and spiritual foundation of human existence is destroyed under the influence of new technologies," the patriarch said.
On his part, Lukin expressed the hope that at some time future Russian presidents and future commissioners for human rights of the Russian federation will take their oath to the nation at the memorial being opened on Academician Sakharov Prospect.
The "Wall of Sorrow" is a bilateral high relief with several arches composed of the outlines of numerous figures symbolizing those who perished from the repressions. The wall is 30 meters long and six meters high. At the edges of the monument are two relief plates with the word "Remember" in various languages. In the composition of the area on which the memorial stands are stones brought from various regions of Russia where labor camps were located. On the stones is posted the inscription: "Know. . . Do not forget. . . Condemn. . . Forgive!" written by Natalia Solzhenitsyna. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 October 2017)
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