The opening ceremony of the monument to Simon Bolivar
On July 19, 2023, a solemn opening ceremony of the monument to Simon Bolivar was held in the southwest of Moscow. A new public space was created at the intersection of Vernadsky Avenue and University Avenue, where the monument to Simon Bolivar was installed.
The opening of the monument to the legendary figure Simon Bolivar was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak, Mayor of the Venezuelan capital Caracas Carmen Teresa Melendez, Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow Sergey Cheremin, Minister of Oil of Venezuela, Co-Chairman of the Russian-Venezuelan Intergovernmental Commission Pedro Telichea, Director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Valentinovich Schetinin.
In addition, the ceremony was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Venezuela to the Russian Federation Jesus Rafael Salazar Velasques. Representatives of the official Venezuelan delegation, federal and city authorities, accredited personnel in Moscow, Muscovites, and guests of the capital also participated in the ceremony.
The monument represents a sculpture of Simon Bolivar, installed on a four-meter-high foundation and a granite pedestal. The statue itself is slightly less than 4.5 meters in height and is a copy of the equestrian sculpture by the Italian master Adamo Tadolini, installed in Caracas. It was presented as a gift to the Russian capital by the Government of Venezuela in 2010. The location for the monument was determined at that time, and the foundation stone was laid.