Serbia: Russian patriarch consecrates Belgrade monument to last tsar
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 November 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serbia: Russian patriarch consecrates Belgrade monument to last tsar, 16 November 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/548ea8c24.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 16, 2014
The heads of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches have consecrated a monument to the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, in central Belgrade.
The ceremony came near the end of a three-day visit during which Moscow Patriarch Kirill has played up religious and historical ties between Russia and Serbia, which is seeking to join the European Union while cultivating political and economic ties with Moscow.
Kirill said the tsar, who was killed by the Bolsheviks with his family in 1918, had "sacrificed his crown, his kingdom, and his life to save Serbia and to save Europe."
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic called the monument "a new symbol of an old friendship."
Kirill's trip to Serbia came a month after Russian President Vladimir Putin watched a military parade in Belgrade and coincided with an unprecedented Russian-Serbian military exercise that was held on November 14.
Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
