CONCERT IN SARAJEVO CANCELLED UNDER PRESSURE FROM RADIO FREE EUROPE

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 14 /SRNA/ - The Russian Embassy in BiH said it was convinced that the decision to cancel a concert by young Russian musicians in Sarajevo had been made under pressure from Radio Free Europe, which is known for its "zoological" Russophobia, something it allegedly confirms almost daily through its malicious publications about Russia.

Commenting on the Bosniak Institute's statement explaining the reasons for cancelling the "Rising Stars" concert, the Russian Embassy stressed that contacts with representatives of the institute regarding the organization of the event had begun as early as August.

According to the embassy, the organizers had been provided with comprehensive information on all aspects of the project. On October 8, a poster featuring the logos of all sponsors was delivered and published on the Bosniak Institute’s social media accounts the following day without any comment.

The Russian Embassy also noted that the Russian musicians had held a rehearsal in the institute's hall on the morning of October 12, adding that the institute's representatives had had sufficient time to find "reasons for cancelling" the concert.

"It is deeply regrettable that such a reputable institution as the Bosniak Institute took the speculations of ill-wishers at face value and agreed to be drawn into a provocative campaign aimed at portraying Russia as the `eternal enemy of Bosniaks,` torpedoing at all costs the development of constructive cooperation with the largest constituent people of BiH," the Russian Embassy said in its response to the Bosniak Institute’s statement on the reasons for cancelling the concert.

Concerts by young Russian musicians under the "Rising Stars" programme were held in Banja Luka and Istočno Novo Sarajevo. A performance was also scheduled to take place in Sarajevo on Monday, October 12.

The concert programme includes Russian folk compositions and works by Sergei Taneyev, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Konstantin Mostras, as well as Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Luigi Bassi.

The concerts were organized with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory and the federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo.