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Aidyn Zeinalov
Aidyn Zeinalov
Presentation of Monument to Russian Diplomat
Vitaly Churkin
Vitaly Churkin
A presentation of a monument to Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin was recently held in Moscow. The bust sculpted by Aidyn Zeinalov, a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, is due to be installed in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in May. The event to show off a new piece from Zeinalov’s Balkan series took place at the exhibition hall in Moskow’s Serebryanichesky Lane. “The monument to Vitaly Churkin will become an essential part of the Balkan series. Contemporary art is only relevant when it meets the moment’s demands and resonates with current realities. We have brought this salient work of art to life with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation,” Zeinalov said at the presentation. He added that Churkin was a multitalented man – a diplomat, orator, and insightful philosopher.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko described Churkin as a mentor who entered history as a symbol of justice and integrity, a champion of the interests of his homeland and state. “The sculptor has captured the personality and all of Vitaly Churkin’s defining qualities. Significantly, this monument will be placed where people wanted it to be. All the white noise that they are trying to replace international relations with will never be able to replace all the ties that bind the Russian and Serbian worlds,” the diplomat said.
Evgeny Primakov, head of the Federal Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation, said that Churkin had a great personality and was a paragon of honesty, accuracy, and courage. “He fought his battles at the UN Security Council table. The Serbian people wishing to see this monument is an important anchor for historical memory. It is a strong tribute to Vitaly Churkin, a way to perpetuate his living memory,” Primakov said.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a friend of the Serbian people, said that she was unfailingly awed by Vitaly Churkin, as were many others. “It’s always essential to thoroughly understand the issue at hand and know how you plan to present your actions. He excelled in everything he did,” she said. She underscored the fact that a monument to a diplomat from one country was commissioned by another nation, whose people were grateful to the man.
Finally, Vitaly Churkin’s widow Irina expressed her gratitude to the Serbian people for remembering her late husband: “I saw how deeply he was loved, supported, and respected, both by the Serbian and Russian people. My family and I believe that he has actually gone on a business trip. Even today, people from all over the world send us holiday greetings, showing respect and remembering Vitaly with fondness.”
Aidyn Zeinalov began working on his Balkan series in late 2022; in April 2023, a bust of Nikita Tolstoy, a linguist, member of the USSR and Russian Academy of Sciences, and great-grandson of the renowned writer Leo Tolstoy, was unveiled in the Serbian town of Vršac. In December, busts of medieval Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky were installed in Nikšić and Andrijevica in Montenegro. That same month, a presentation of a monument to Russian Consul Grigory Shcherbina was held at the Russian House in Belgrade, marking the 120th anniversary of the diplomat’s death.
Vitaly Churkin was born in Moscow in 1952 into the family of an aviation engineer. He finished Moscow’s specialist school No. 56 with an emphasis on English. As a young man, he acted in films, including Mark Donskoy’s A Mother’s Heart, a biographical drama centered on the formative years of Vladimir Lenin. In 1974, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and went on to work as a diplomat, an occupation he pursued for the rest of his life. He headed the Information Department of the Soviet and later Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia; he also worked as Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belgium and Canada. From April 2006, he was Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and its Security Council. In 2017, Churkin passed away suddenly in New York, just a day before his 65th birthday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko described Churkin as a mentor who entered history as a symbol of justice and integrity, a champion of the interests of his homeland and state. “The sculptor has captured the personality and all of Vitaly Churkin’s defining qualities. Significantly, this monument will be placed where people wanted it to be. All the white noise that they are trying to replace international relations with will never be able to replace all the ties that bind the Russian and Serbian worlds,” the diplomat said.
Evgeny Primakov, head of the Federal Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation, said that Churkin had a great personality and was a paragon of honesty, accuracy, and courage. “He fought his battles at the UN Security Council table. The Serbian people wishing to see this monument is an important anchor for historical memory. It is a strong tribute to Vitaly Churkin, a way to perpetuate his living memory,” Primakov said.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a friend of the Serbian people, said that she was unfailingly awed by Vitaly Churkin, as were many others. “It’s always essential to thoroughly understand the issue at hand and know how you plan to present your actions. He excelled in everything he did,” she said. She underscored the fact that a monument to a diplomat from one country was commissioned by another nation, whose people were grateful to the man.
Finally, Vitaly Churkin’s widow Irina expressed her gratitude to the Serbian people for remembering her late husband: “I saw how deeply he was loved, supported, and respected, both by the Serbian and Russian people. My family and I believe that he has actually gone on a business trip. Even today, people from all over the world send us holiday greetings, showing respect and remembering Vitaly with fondness.”
Aidyn Zeinalov began working on his Balkan series in late 2022; in April 2023, a bust of Nikita Tolstoy, a linguist, member of the USSR and Russian Academy of Sciences, and great-grandson of the renowned writer Leo Tolstoy, was unveiled in the Serbian town of Vršac. In December, busts of medieval Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky were installed in Nikšić and Andrijevica in Montenegro. That same month, a presentation of a monument to Russian Consul Grigory Shcherbina was held at the Russian House in Belgrade, marking the 120th anniversary of the diplomat’s death.
Vitaly Churkin was born in Moscow in 1952 into the family of an aviation engineer. He finished Moscow’s specialist school No. 56 with an emphasis on English. As a young man, he acted in films, including Mark Donskoy’s A Mother’s Heart, a biographical drama centered on the formative years of Vladimir Lenin. In 1974, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and went on to work as a diplomat, an occupation he pursued for the rest of his life. He headed the Information Department of the Soviet and later Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia; he also worked as Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belgium and Canada. From April 2006, he was Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and its Security Council. In 2017, Churkin passed away suddenly in New York, just a day before his 65th birthday.
