1. W/S Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov takes the stage 2. W/S Crowd applauds 3. SOT Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (speaking Russian): "The Russian and Slovenian nations are united in the determination to prevent any intentional misinterpretation of the history of WWII, to pass down this knowledge to the younger generations, so that the memories of this terrible page in the history of the 20th century can help to bolster the spiritual and moral foundations of our society." 4. M/S Crowd listens 5. SOT Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (speaking Russian): "I am sure the documentary called the 'Russian Battalion' will further contribute to the expansion of our cultural and humanitarian cooperation, it will help to develop and improve the relationship between our countries and our nations, a relationship which I would call excellent and perfect." 6. M/S Man listens 7. W/S Lavrov leaves stage SCRIPT Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, took part in presenting documentary 'The Russian Battalion' on Friday, a film devoted to the exploit of Soviet servicemen who fought Nazism in the territory of Slovenia. This working visit is the second leg of Lavrov's two-day European tour. Meeting with Slovenia's President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek, they discussed 'international matters of current importance' and possibilities to deepen Russo-Slovene interaction in various multilateral organisations. Russia have agreed to promote cooperation on all levels. During his speech, Lavrov said, "The Russian and Slovenian nations are united in the determination to prevent any intentional misinterpretation of the history of WWII, to pass down this knowledge to the younger generations, so that the memories of this terrible page in the history of the 20th century can help to bolster the spiritual and moral foundations of our society." The documentary tells the story of the struggle of countrymen, who after escaping from the concentration camps in Yugoslavia and northern Italy, poured into guerrilla groups. In the western regions of Slovenia, Soviet troops formed a division of the 9th Corps Slovenian guerrilla army called 'Russian Battalion'. A memorial for the fallen fighters' Russian battalion was opened in September 2009, in the Slovenian town of Trnovo. Several thousand Russians fought on Slovenian territory against the Nazis during WWII and around 3,000 Russian soldiers are buried in 50 burial grounds around Slovenia, according to the Russian Embassy in Ljubljana. Finally, Lavrov said, "I am sure the documentary called the 'Russian Battalion' will further contribute to the expansion of our cultural and humanitarian cooperation, it will help to develop and improve the relationship between our countries and our nations, a relationship which I would call excellent and perfect."

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