MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has backed the idea of installing in the Russian and U.S. capitals monuments to commemorate the meeting of Soviet and U.S. soldiers on the Elbe river in April 1945.
Luzhkov voiced his approval at a meeting with U.S. writer, translator and journalist Richard Lourie in City Hall's Red Room on Wednesday.
Lourie suggested to the Moscow mayor to erect monuments dedicated to the meeting on the Elbe, adding that it should always be remembered how our people - the Russians and Americans - fought shoulder to shoulder against the common enemy.
The victory over fascism was the key event of the 20th century, he said.
In order for young people to better remember the great past that connects the U.S. and Russia, two identical monuments should be installed in our capital cities - Moscow and Washington -- Lourie said. These monuments could be a reproduction of the famous historical photograph that captured this great moment when Soviet and U.S. soldiers standing on the ruins of the bombarded bridge reached out to each other.
Luzhkov backed the idea, adding that it was very interesting.