By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague, on June 11th2019, H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, organized a reception on the occasion of the National Day of the Russian Federation at the Embassy.
Scores of Ambassadors, diplomats, military attachés, representatives of international institutions, Dutch officials, representatives of public bodies, the business community, academia, and Russian nationals, all made their way to the Embassy of Russia in order to join in the festivities.
The folk group Radoves from Voronezh, accordionist Arkady Gankin and singer Elena Bazhenova animated the afternoon with their performance of famous Russian folk songs.
The guests could follow video expositions dedicated to the 220th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin’s birthday and the 100th anniversary of Mikhail Kalashnikov, and to see an exposition of drawings of Russian and Dutch children, supported by the Rotary club.
Ambassador Shulgin delivered a powerful welcome speech which you will find hereunder.
” A very warm welcome to all of you at the Russian Embassy as we prepare to celebrate our national holiday. Fortunately enough, the weather is wonderful with the sun shining which is a perfect match for our festive mood.
The Russian national day comes soon after Victory Day, celebrated here on May 8th and in Russia on May 9th, and just a few days after the D-Day anniversary. These days are a very special occasion to pay tribute to our heroes, to all those who paid their lives to get rid of the “brown plague” the sinister shadow of which covered most European countries during the Second World War.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation rightly emphasized in his recent article, our duty is to preserve the memory of all the victims, all the battles waged during that war. It was the Soviet Union that paid the exorbitant price – 27 million dead, including millions of civilians. Bear in mind something that is telling beyond any doubt: 680 Nazi divisions were annihilated by the Red Army against 150 defeated by the Allied forces after the landing in Normandy.
If we were to learn from the tragedy of the Second World War, we should do our best to preserve peace and security in the world. Nowadays, the security situation in the world leaves much to be desired. There is an increasing risk of unintentional incidents which are fraught with danger of sinister escalation: military aircraft fly dangerously close to each other, a spectacular near miss between two major battleships in the East China Sea.
Our country is committed to getting the world safer. For this to happen, we are ready to engage in discussions about how we can strengthen the global security architecture, which implies the necessity of not destroying such cornerstones as the INF Treaty and the START.
While expecting better times, as regards international relations and security issues, we need to preserve all the assets for the resumption of full-fledged cooperation.
In this respect we attach great importance to our relations with the Netherlands. They are not at its best now for some obvious reasons, but there are also lots of encouraging signs both in the economic and cultural areas.
We are proud of exemplary cooperation between the two Hermitages – in Saint Petersburg and here on Amstel. I look forward to admiring new exhibitions from the reserves of Saint Petersburg’s Hermitage.
This year marks 220 years since the birth of the world-famous Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin. His immense contribution to the development of world literature was noted by the United Nations that established the Day of Russian Language on the 6th of June, which is Pushkin’s birthday.
In 2019 we also celebrate 100 years since the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the legendary small arms designer who passed away in 2013. He was a man of extraordinary talent and commitment, a figure of historical importance. The weapon he created has become a symbol of the Russian Army’s victorious traditions. Some unique photos featuring Mr. Kalashnikov are displayed on one of the screens.
Today you will also see an exposition of drawings of Russian and Dutch children, supported by the Rotary club, which embodies the spirit of cultural diversity and dialogue and illustrates the traditionally friendly relations between the Russian and Dutch people.
Just to highlight today’s celebration we would like you to hear some traditional Russian music and songs interpreted by the Russian Folklore band from the Voronezh region which is called «RADOVES»“
