President Anatoly Bibilov attended the opening ceremony of the “Days of Ossetian Culture” in St. Petersburg on the occasion of the 270th anniversary of the first Ossetian embassy in Russia, the press service of the head of state said. The ceremony was held in the Multimedia Park "Russia - My History".
The opening ceremony of the “Days of Culture of Ossetia” was also attended by Chairman of the Parliament of the North Ossetia-Alania Alexei Machnev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Leningrad Region Nikolai Emelyanov, artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, philanthropist, representative of the Ossetian community of St. Petersburg Taimuraz Bolloev.
The ceremony began with a parade of the Ossetian national costumes and a presentation film about Ossetia and prominent Ossetians who made a significant contribution to the development of science, sports, culture and the manufacturing sector of Russia.
In his opening remarks, President of South Ossetia noted the historical parallels linking the peoples of Ossetia and Russia. Anatoly Bibilov has reminded that the history of good relations between Russia and Ossetia dates back to the time when the Ossetians were known as Yasses, Alans, when they made joint campaigns, and stood shoulder to shoulder and repelled the foreigners.
“The historical paths that our peoples had to go through could not disappear in the depths of centuries, could not dissolve in history and should have found further developing after the Alanian state became smaller when the wars tortured Alania.
At that time, the remnants of the Alans went into the mountains and occupied the territory, which today is called Ossetia-Alania, without dividing it into south and north. Further development for the Alans, modern Ossetians could not be in these gorges and, of course, required the return of those territories that they had lost,” he said.
Continuing the theme, Anatoly Bibilov has emphasized that Ossetia, surrounded on all sides by unfriendly territories, suffered oppression and increasingly looked with hope at the Russian Empire, a potential alliance with which was possible.
“The level of today's relations shows the correct and wise decision of the Ossetian society.
I sincerely congratulate everyone on a significant date and, of course, I wish that the brotherly relations that our ancestors bequeathed to us should not be lost and multiplied, valued and passed on to future generations. Happy holiday!”, the head of the South Ossetian state addressed.
The Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Alexei Machnev, has also noted that the event happened 270 years ago, strongly connected Russia and Ossetia, which allowed us to write down the successes and achievements of Ossetians in golden letters of history.
“The decision to be with Russia was an important, necessary and decisive choice, which allowed the Ossetian people to develop culture, economy, social sphere, to show talent in all spheres of life, and there are concrete, vivid examples,” he said.
The willingness to cooperate in the economic sphere, in the field of education and science, the culture of museum and library affairs was expressed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Leningrad Region Nikolai Emelyanov.
“Time is running fast and a very difficult story has been passed by us together. The Leningrad Region is ready to cooperate with Ossetia, this cooperation will continue, given that today the state has announced a very serious cooperation program in the framework of domestic and inbound tourism. We are ready, we have something to show, and there is something to see in Ossetia, ”he said.
Representatives of the Ossetian community of St. Petersburg, philanthropist Taimuraz Bolloev, also congratulated those present on the holiday.
“Of course, the date is serious. We understand that the choice made 270 years ago towards Russia was right. We are just followers of those events and this imposes a great burden of responsibility on the current generation,” said the philanthropist.
The congratulation of Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky on a significant date was also read out, in which it was noted that the celebrations would be another thread linking the peoples of Ossetia and Russia.
“It is symbolic that after more than two and a half centuries, events dedicated to the Ossetian embassy are taking place in St. Petersburg, the former capital of Russia, where Ossetian envoys arrived in the 18th century, one of the most respected and educated people among their compatriots. The relations of our peoples have always been built on mutual respect, equality and trust, which history has clearly confirmed: our ancestors were fighting shoulder to shoulder against the common enemies, and cultures complemented and mutually enriched each other,” the congratulatory address says.
The events continued with a concert in which the Orchestra of Folk Instruments took part under the direction of Oleg Khodov, the Folk-Dance Ensemble "Iriston". Within the framework of the event, the exhibition “Ossetia and Russia: the connection of times” was also opened, including the expositions of the National Museums of South and North Ossetia. A tasting of Ossetian pies was organized for the participants and guests of the “Days of Ossetian Culture”.
