Opinions & Interviews

GLUBOKOYE DISTRICT, 14 April (BelTA) – Homage to the Italians who died in the territory of Belarus during the war is the best indicator of the friendly relations between the two nations, Commercial Counsellor at the Italian Embassy in Belarus Ugo Boni said during a commemorative meeting at the burial place of the Italian soldiers and officers in the village of Orekhovno, Glubokoye District, BelTA has learned.

The Italian delegation visited Glubokoye District as part of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. "It is very important to preserve the memory. If we can preserve the memory, we can prevent this from happening in the future. I am glad that people in Belarus pay tribute to the memory of our soldiers despite the fact that at some point in history we were enemies. Respect for the memory is the best indicator of the friendship between our peoples,” Ugo Boni said.

The ceremony was attended by Enzo Orlanducci from the ANRP, the Italian National Association of former POWs; Stefania Carnemolla, an Italian freelance researcher and journalist; Chairman of the Glubokoye District Executive Committee Oleg Morkhat, representatives of the local authorities, enterprises, students, and the general public.

A monument in the village of Orekhovno was installed in the place where 19 people - Italian POWs and civilians shot by the Nazis – were re-buried. The remains were found by the 1^st special-purpose search squad of the Defense Ministry in the woodland near the village of Orekhovno in May 1998. A monument in the form of two crosses and the boulder with the inscription "Here are buried the remains of the civilians and Italian prisoners of war brutally tortured by the Nazis during World War II in 1941-1944. Rest in Peace” was installed in August of the same year.

During the war the Nazis established a concentration camp in the village of Orekhovno. According to the eyewitnesses, at first it held about 100 people. 500 Italians were brought there later.