ZAGREB, May 9, 2018 – Saint John of Capistrano Park in Ilok’s Old Town, which has a monument to 1,067 Red Army soldiers killed in 1944, was inaugurated on Tuesday after being refurbished thanks to a Russian Embassy donation of 200,000 kuna.
Mayor Marina Budimir thanked the embassy and Ambassador Anvar Azimov, saying she was pleased the soldiers, killed while liberating the area, were still being commemorated.
This is not just in honour of the soldiers but the town of Ilok as well, which we view with deep respect. Once again, I thank the people and leaders of Ilok for caring about our shared history, Azimov said, suggesting the park be named Friendship and Victory Park.
He said Croatia had 11 monuments to Red Army soldiers killed in WWII and that the Russian government regularly paid for their maintenance.
This is our shared history. I have been in Croatia for two and a half years and have concluded that the Russian and Croatian peoples have a lot in common and understand each other well. I highly appreciate the opinion of those Croats who advocate the continuation of Russian-Croatian bilateral relations. Cooperation is in the interest of both peoples, Azimov said.
