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The Russian Embassy in London disagreed with UK Foreign Secretary Philipp Hammond's remark about a concert the Mariinsky Theater's orchestra gave at the Roman Theater in Syria's Palmyra on May 6.
Media quoted Hammond as describing the event as "a tasteless attempt to distract attention from the continued suffering of millions of Syrians."
Hammond was reported to say that this was especially evident amid an airstrike upon a refugee camp in northern Syria, in which about 30 people, including women and children, were killed.
"No, @PHammondMP, @Mariinskyen isn't 'tasteless'. It's a way to tell the world that modern barbarians wouldn't succeed," the Russian Embassy said via Twitter.
No, @PHammondMP, @Mariinskyen isn’t “tasteless”.It’s a way to tell the world that modern barbarians wouldn’t succeed pic.twitter.com/QHak6ZmCmH
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) 6 мая 2016 г.
The Mariinsky Theater's orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev performed on May 6 in Palmyra, which was only recently liberated from Islamic State. Among others, taking part in the concert was cellist Sergei Roldugin, whose name was mentioned by Western media outlets in the context of the Panama Papers affair.
The ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was controlled by IS for some time, during which terrorists destroyed several antique cultural monuments. Experts are of the view that their restoration might take five to seven years.
