On the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said Russia was ready to step up cooperation with the U.S. against terrorism. “We are united by the moments not only when everything is fine, but especially in the moments of grief. Nineteen years ago, there was a disaster. Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the first who supported U.S. President George W. Bush and the American people,” Antonov told TASS. “As a sign of respect and sorrow for the people who died in the terrorist attacks, we lowered the flag at the Russian embassy.”
On Sept. 11, 2006, the Russian government donated a powerful monument, known as the Teardrop Memorial, dedicated to “The Struggle Against World Terrorism,” to the people and government of the United States in honor of those killed on 9/11 and victims of terrorism worldwide. The 40-foot tall sculpture of a tear-drop, was constructed in Bayonne, New Jersey, on the banks of the Hudson River overlooking lower Manhattan where people gathered on 9/11 to watch the horror taking place at the World Trade Center. It is virtually unknown to most Americans. The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus hosts an annual event at the Memorial with the Russian Embassy, police and fire color guards and others to commemorate the Alexandrov Ensemble which lost 60 members en route to perform for Russian troops in Syria on Christmas Day 2016. See http://www.911monument.com/.
“The fight against terrorism is a very good opportunity, an area where we could cooperate with the United States. We are ready for such interaction, now the ball is in the court of our American partners,” said Antonov.
He continued: “At the current stage, Russia-United States relations are in a deep crisis. We should hardly expect any breakthroughs in the near future, especially given the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. We are ready to develop relations to the extent our American colleagues are ready for.”
“So far, we do not see a great desire for it,” the ambassador observed. “That is why in this situation, communication and contacts between people, representatives of the spheres of culture and sports are especially important for us.”
