Relocation Of Marshal Konev Monument Abides By Czech-Russian Agreement - Foreign Minister

Relocation of Marshal Konev Monument Abides by Czech-Russian Agreement - Foreign Minister

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2019) The relocation of the monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev in Prague to a new appropriate site will be in line with the 1993 Agreement on Friendly Relations and Cooperation between the Czech Republic and Russia, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said Wednesday.

Last week, the leadership of the Prague 6 district, where the monument in memory of the liberation of Prague from the Nazis in 1945 was located, decided after a long debate to relocate it to a museum and hold a contest for the creation of a new monument to the heroes and liberators of Prague.

"If we find an appropriate place for the monument, we will not breach our commitments under this agreement," Petricek said, adding that he was not aware of any retaliatory steps so far by several Russian politicians who reacted harshly to the idea of the relocation of the monument.

He added that numerous acts of vandalism took place in Russia itself against monuments to Czechoslovakians who fought for the White Army during the Russian civil war of 1917-1923.

"But we solve this through diplomatic channels, not on media," Petricek stressed.

Moscow has expressed deep regrets about the decision of the Prague authorities to relocate the monument to Marshal Konev and called it "cynical." Czech President Milos Zeman, in turn, said that the whole situation was a disgrace for the Czech Republic, as the monument represented a symbol of the memory of all Red Army soldiers who were killed during the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945.