ArmInfo.The US state of Kansas proclaimed December 7 as the day of memory of the victims of the Spitak earthquake. This is stated in the text of the Declaration of the State of Kansas (USA), received by ArmInfo. A delegation of the State of Kansas on December 7 laid a wreath at the monument to victims of the Spitak earthquake in the courtyard of the Church of the Savior in Gyumri.
As State Governor Jeff Colyer noted, the day of December 7, 1988 was a turning point in his life. "Then, 30 years ago, I could not even imagine that I would return to Gyumri as a head of state," recalls Colyer . That day, surgeon Jeff Colyer, who was engaged in volunteering in various parts of the world, came to work at the State Department, where he learned about the tragic event in Armenia. The American leadership decided not to remain indifferent in the face of such a tragedy, and within a few hours a plane with 70 US citizens on board flew to Armenia. "There are not enough words to describe what we then saw. I can only note the fantastic spirit of kindness and love with which the Armenians overcame the pain of the tragedy," he said. The state governor is sure that Armenia has a bright future, because she remembers and honors her past, which makes this nation special.
On this tragic day for Armenia, Germany also rushed to the aid of the Armenian people. As Andrej Konstantin , a member of the German Bundestag, recalls, among other things, huge donations were collected to the victims in the disaster zone. "Only the German Red Cross collected donations worth 120 million German marks, an unprecedented amount in the history of the German Red Cross," he said. After the tragedy, Germany provided substantial assistance to Armenian partners in the formation of the rescue service. According to him, even today, cooperation between various structures of Armenia and Germany continues to develop intensively. "Partners for many years have become real friends and this is exactly the value that you definitely need to preserve and increase," said the MP of the German Bundestag.
"The tragedy of Armenia shook the whole world," Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Nikolai Grechushkin noted in his speech. According to him, back in 1988, the whole Soviet Union came to the aid of the Spitaks. "But life goes on, and today it is our duty to honor the memory of those killed on that fateful day on December 7, 1988, and to remember with gratitude all those who came to the Armenian people at a difficult moment," the deputy minister said.