The Day of solidarity in the fight against terrorism is commemorated in Russia today, on September 3.
The tragic event commemorated in particular on this day is the end of a school siege in the southern Russian city of Beslan in September 2004, in which more than 300 people, mostly women and children, were killed. The day of remembrance was established 14 years ago.
Mourners in Moscow were expected to visit 11 sites in the Russian capital where terrorist acts have taken place in recent years.
The mourning ceremony to commemorate the victims of Beslan will be held in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kulishki.
Cantata Memoria: For the children by Karl Jenkins will be performed in Moscow this evening for the first time. The choral work dedicated to the 116 children and 28 adults who died in the 1966 Aberfan tragedy.
"While the work’s genesis is in Aberfan, we were mindful of how it might encompass other tragedies involving children: Dunblane (1996), the Beslan school siege (2004), the Korean ferry disaster and the Peshawar school massacre (both 2014). We have all been children, many of us are parents and grandparents, and our hope is that the work encompasses children all over the world, as well as offering a memorial in music for the disaster in Wales," Karl Jenkins said.
President of the International Association of Veterans of the Alpha Anti-Terrorism Unit, member of the Civic Chamber Sergey Goncharov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, explained that terrorism remains the number one global issue. "Because, unfortunately, Russia can’t find a common language with the U.S., with European countries in order to create a united coalition in the fight against terrorism. The situation in Syria and Afghanistan shows this. We don’t have a single approach to this problem. And until we find consensus in this situation, terrorism will continue to act just as tough," the expert warned.
"Speaking about Russia, I believe that the Russian special services have done everything now to make our country a more or less calm region. And, unfortunately, this is not only a problem in the North Caucasus, this infection has spread to the central regions of the Russian Federation. So it’s impossible to say that Russia is a special territory that does not concern ed by terror. This problem exists, and I think that it will be a headache for our state for a long time," he stressed.
Speaking about the concrete steps required in this area, the President of the International Association of Veterans of the Alpha Anti-Terrorism Unit explained that no matter what victories are gained, the propaganda campaign and recruiters working in our country and other countries recruit people. "At the moment, the main struggle should be carried out in the intelligence and operational work in order to suppress the actions of recruiters. And the most important thing is that many militants have infiltrated Russia and conduct terrorist activities here," Sergey Goncharov said.
First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of North Ossetia, Chairman of the Moscow Ossetian Community Alexander Totoonov stressed that time is not able to heal, especially erase the experience. "Beslan is not just a tragedy. Beslan has long been a purgatory for all of us. And whenever we turn to this tragedy, whenever we remain face to face with all these points of memory, we tear apart that thin crust in ourselves, which sometimes covers us with calm, and bleeding wounds of Beslan make us cleaner and better. Because Beslan split our life into 'before' and 'after'. And it became more difficult to live after," the politician said.
"These are lessons not only for us, who come from North Ossetia, these are moral lessons, a new matrix of the attitude towards life and love for life. Beslan should not be repeated. But Beslan should never be forgotten," Alexander Totoonov concluded.
