On the 23rd, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the unveiling ceremony of the tombstone of former President Yeltsin. Xinhua/Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday at the unveiling ceremony of the tombstone of Yeltsin, the first president of the Russian Federation, that Yeltsin had gone through such a unique road, just like the fate of Russia.
Call Yeltsin an outstanding leader
Yeltsin passed away on April 23, 2007. After a year, Yeltsin’s tombstone was finally laid in Moscow’s new virgin cemetery yesterday. Putin and President-elect Medvedev attended the ceremony and presented flowers.
Putin said: "The turbulent 1990s of the last century were an era of drastic changes, an era of brave and extraordinary people, an era of people who were good at going against the current and calling for new goals and leading the public. Boris Yeltsin deserved to be an outstanding leader of this generation."
He added: "As a politician and a citizen, he has gone through a difficult road. He has faced complicated and crucial choices more than once in his life. This road is so unique, just like the fate of our country."
Putin also said that he would continue Yeltsin’s cause. "Russia’s presidential system will always be the guarantee of the Constitution and people’s rights."
The tombstone is in the shape of the Russian flag.
Yeltsin’s tombstone was designed in the shape of a floating Russian flag. Designer Georgi Frangulyan said, "This should be a symbol of the new Russia. It is precisely because of Yeltsin that Russia now has the national flag."
Commemorative activities were also held throughout Russia. Yekaterinburg decided to name the streets and universities after him, Nizhny Novgorod will be the tennis center, and St. Petersburg will open the presidential library before the end of the year.
Yeltsin’s hometown Sverdlovsk region once proposed to rename the streets associated with Yeltsin before his death as a permanent memorial, in addition to various units with different functions: universities, airports, tennis courts and even the whole city. But in the end, the local government decided to name two streets after him, one in Butca Township where Yeltsin was born, the other in Yekaterinburg, and the Ural National Technical University where the famous politician once studied.
In Kyrgyzstan, since September 2004, one of the most famous universities in the country, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, has been named after Yeltsin. In 1992, this university was established with the active support of Yeltsin.
In addition, Kyrgyzstan presented the whole mountain near caracol, the state capital, to Yeltsin, and named it Yeltsin Peak in Yeltsin’s lifetime. (Fang Xiao)
Editor: Li Xingchi