VIENNA. Sept 8 (Interfax) - Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko has thanked the authorities and people of Austria for taking care of Soviet WWII memorials.
"I would like to thank the Austrian government, the Austrian parliament, and the people of Austria for taking care of Great Patriotic War memorials to the soldiers who died in that horrid war," Matviyenko told reporters on Wednesday, after laying a wreath at the memorial to Soviet soldiers who died liberating Vienna from the Nazis.
There are 217 monuments to Soviet soldiers in Austria, Matviyenko said.
"Unlike other countries that fight monuments, Austria cherishes the memory and is grateful to the Red Army that liberated Vienna and whole of Europe from the Nazi yoke. What is more, the Austrian parliament has even amended laws to allow additional measures protecting the memorial to our fallen soldiers from vandalism," she said.
A Federation Council delegation led by Matviyenko is paying a working visit to Austria. On Tuesday, the delegation attended the opening ceremony of the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments and Vienna and held a number of bilateral meetings, including talks with Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Hendrik Daems.