Remarks of Ambassador Antonov to 9/11 Memorial

H.E. Anatoly Antonov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, sent the following message to the participants at the memorial ceremony paying tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, at the Tear of Sorrow monument in Bayonne, NJ, on September 12, 2021.

Dear friends,

These days we mourn the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I would like to express my sincere condolences to the nearest and dearest of all those who lost their lives two decades ago because of inhuman actions of terrorists.

Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the barbaric hijacking of four passenger planes and the following attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Among the victims were citizens of the United States as well as dozens of other countries, including our compatriots—Russians and immigrants from the former U.S.S.R.

Right after the tragedy, Russia expressed its full solidarity with the Americans. Our country has also experienced horrific human tragedy from massive terrorist attacks, which took lives of hundreds of innocent people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to call his American colleague, George W. Bush after those terrorist attacks. “I bow to the victims’ memory, and admire New Yorkers’ courage,” wrote the Russian leader on the Memorial Wall at the site of the collapsed Twin Towers of the World Trade Center during his visit to the U.S. in November 2001.

The 9/11 tragedy has shown that terrorism is a common global threat. Any attempts to create isolated “islands of security” in the modern interconnected world are ephemeral and doomed to failure. The victory over terrorists can be achieved only through joint efforts of the entire international community. There is no place for carelessness and double standards in this regard. It is unacceptable to divide terrorists into the good and the bad.

Vladimir Putin as well as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have stated multiple times that cooperation in counterterrorism meets the interests of both Moscow and Washington. Interaction in this sphere can save lives of hundreds of people.

The Tear of Sorrow monument testifies to the unity of our peoples in the face of the global terrorist threat. This memorial epitomizes grief, which the Russians share with the Americans.