The official opening ceremony of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage took place on November 20, 2024 in Banja Luka (Republika Srpska). On the occasion of the Foundation's opening, a delegation of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage in Moscow, headed by Executive Director Egor Skopenko, arrived in Banja Luka. Mr. Zeljko Cejic, Director of Lada Auto Limited Liability Company in Bosnia and Herzegovina, became the head of the Fund's office in Banja Luka.
Before the grand opening, the consecration of the Foundation's office was performed, which was headed by the vicar of the Banja Luka Diocese, Bishop Savva of Marchan (Bundalo), co-served by the abbot of the Osovitsa monastery of the Banja Luka Diocese, Archimandrite Theophilus (Dimitrich), rector of the monastery in honor of the Holy Blessed Matron of Moscow, Archimandrite Isaiah (Lukich), rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Banja LukaArchpriest Dragan (Maksimovich) Luka, as well as other representatives of the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
At the end of the consecration ceremony, an official opening ceremony was held, which was attended by the Executive Director of the Foundation in Moscow, Egor Skopenko and his deputy Anna Nikitenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Kalabukhov, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina Yuri Pichugin, as well as Adviser to the Russian Foreign Ministry First Class Alexander Shinkarev.
In his welcoming speech, the Ambassador stressed the unifying role of the Russian language and culture, noted the growing interest in their study in the Republika Srpska and wished the newly opened organization success in educational activities.
According to the Executive Director of the Foundation in Moscow, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Patriarch Porfiry of Serbia, the Foundation has established a Russian Language Learning Center in Banja Luka, where anyone can attend the relevant courses free of charge.
"Last year we launched the activities of the Russian Language Center at the Christian Heritage Foundation in Belgrade, which is now very popular, therefore, together with Mr. Zeljko, our long-time good friend, it was decided to launch the same project in Banja Luka and thereby provide an opportunity to the fraternal people from Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina Russian Russian is free to learn and get acquainted with Russian culture and traditions. We hope that this project will become a kind of place of attraction for everyone who is interested in the Russian language and its culture, and will also help strengthen friendly relations between our fraternal peoples," concluded Yegor Skopenko.
Zeljko Chejic, Director of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage in Banja Luka, in turn, expressed gratitude to all those present, especially the leadership of the Foundation in Moscow, under whose patronage this project was launched.
"It is a great honor and responsibility for me to open a Foundation for the support of Christian Culture and Heritage here in Banja Luka today, and we will pray that the Lord will bless our labors and undertakings. Our main task is to promote Orthodoxy and traditional family values, to familiarize residents of the Republika Srpska with the culture and literature of the peoples of Russia, as well as to provide everyone with the opportunity to study Russian for free. We are confident that learning Russian in Banja Luka will further strengthen cultural and economic ties between Russia and the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Zeljko Cejic stressed.
According to him, the Russian Language Learning Center began its activities on September 5, 2024, and currently it is visited by 10 groups with a total of 119 people aged 8 to 65 years. Classes for senior groups are held twice a week, for junior groups – once a week. The course is taught by three certified professors of Russian and Serbian languages and literature: Dragana Krkeljas, Nada Gracanin and Milica Sharic. Classes are held in modern classrooms equipped in accordance with the training program. In addition to classrooms, the Center houses a library of literature in Russian and the premises of the Foundation administration.