DUSHANBE, August 19, 2016, Asia-Plus – Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry says that the Tajik authorities ought to listen to veterans’ opinion on purposelessness of targeting Soviet-origin names of streets and cities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia hopes that the Tajik authorities will take into consideration veterans’ opinion on purposelessness of renaming streets in Dushanbe which had been named after Soviet heroes, public and cultural figures, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian MFA has announced at a briefing, according to
Tass
news agency.
“I saw materials about the Tajik authorities’ decision to rename streets [in Dushanbe] that were named after heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and known scientists and cultural figures of the Soviet era,” Zakharova said.
She noted that that subject had been widely covered in Tajik media outlets.
“I also saw materials by a number of authoritative historians and statements by veterans’ organizations and students calling on the Tajik authorities to keep the old names of streets,” Zakharova noted.
“I would like to hope that the Tajik authorities will listen to opinions of veterans and authoritative specialists,” she added.
Recall that Tajik President Emomali Rahmon sent parliament a list of new names for several towns and districts in February this year. The new names follow a trend in which anything not distinctly Tajik or Persian in origin is dismissed.
