Russia troops in Red Square await
the opening of Victory Day celebrations
last year: With some controversial attendees expected,
such as Kim Jong-un,
columnistMaksimSokolov says he doesn't care if Western leaders come.
Victory Day
2015: Hollande, Cameron and Obama won't be Missed! (Izvestia, Russia)
"Since initial
soundings via diplomatic channels are not sent formally, technically no
invitation has been issued. This deprives foreign leaders from being able to
publicly declare, 'Fie on your invitation to me!' for it is impossible to reject
an event you haven’t been invited to. … Stalingrad
station in the Paris Metro is and will remain in Paris; and our greatest
festival will remain with us through the centuries. Hollande, Cameron and Obama -
not to mention leaders of 'New Europe' - are no more than ripples in the water.
Their presence will not add to the honor of May 9th, and their absence will not diminish
its joy."
On the eve on May 9th,
journalist MaksimSokolov
discusses preparations happening privately and in general for the 70th anniversary
celebration of Victory Day.
Let’s discuss the private preparations first of all. There
is no certainty about the international aspect of preparations for the 70th
anniversary celebrations of Victory Day - remember that all are invited (meaning
that all nationalities will be with us – or not), but these things will be arranged
out of the public eye. The participation of - or lack thereof - of foreign
guests at official festivities is a subject for diplomacy, and not all
diplomatic questions should be resolved out in the open.
The invitation process consists of two parts. The first is
an informal process - sounding out through diplomatic channels whether or not
such and such a leader, perhaps Her Majesty’s prime minister or the representative
of the E.U., will take part in the events in Moscow. If they respond
positively, things then go through official channels - a firm invitation that
provides details along with information on protocol and security, etc. If they
are not interested there is no follow-up. Her Majesty’s prime minister and E.U.
representatives are outsiders to this celebration - they have their own celebrations.
Since initial soundings via diplomatic channels are not sent
formally, technically no invitation has been issued. This deprives foreign
leaders from being able to publicly declare, "Fie on your invitation to me!"
for it is impossible to reject an event you haven’t been invited to. Anything
is possible in principle of course, but a principled rejection would look pretty
silly – "and did anyone invite you?!”
This is a fairly common technique – it hands control over to
the partner. Like when playing [the card game]Preferans, for example, the “second King” (a King and a
number card), as a rule, isn’t played until or unless the King is beaten by the
Ace or the number card by a Queen or a Jack. But if it’s not your turn you can
win a trick. The question arises: why not hand over a turn to Her Majesty’s
prime minister or the E.U. representative and let them waste their second King when
it's their turn?
It’s about time our diplomats spent a bit of time playing Preferans to better prepare them for the job.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Now for the public preparations. It
is generally accepted in Russia that Victory Day is a major holiday – a day of national
unity everyone celebrates, excluding of course the sacramental 14 percent [the
liberal intelligentsia that comprises the opposition]. The unceasing rage of
that very 14 percent is like a plaintive cry heard on Easter eve: “Don’t rise
up! Don’t rise up! Rot, decay in your tomb like the others ...” It is a
counterpoint to the singing of "Thy Resurrection, Oh Christ Our Savior,
the Angels Sing in Heaven!," that only confirms the unshakeable
importance of Victory Day to Russia - and to the world. This is our holiday -
but it is a universal celebration.
So like Easter, this holiday is certainly ecumenical, but that
is not to say that people who don't wish to attend, as in an Easter service,
should be scorned of forced to go. So why abuse the conscience of leaders who
experience a similar aversion to May 9th? That would be a clear violation of
the principal of freedom of conscience.
Soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition and heroes of the
European Resistance have always and will always be remembered and commemorated
at this holiday funeral feast. Stalingrad
station in the Paris Metro is and will remain in Paris; and our greatest
festival will remain with us through the centuries. Hollande, Cameron and Obama -
not to mention leaders of “New Europe” - are no more than ripples in the water.
Their presence will not add to the honor of May 9th, and their absence will not diminish
its joy.
