MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - Design modifications on the monument to be built in remembrance of the Tu-154M crash near Smolensk are still up for discussion between Poland and Russia, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said Saturday.
"I think this is still an open issue, that there will also be comments and suggestions from the Polish side. This case is not yet closed," Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz was quoted as saying by Polish television channel TVN24.
The prime minister has spoken out following an announcement from Russian Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky, that Russia believes the monument to be built on the Tu-154M crash site is too large. Medinsky went on to propose the monument be reduced from 100 meters to 40 meters long, according to TVN24.
"It should be like we planned," Kopacz was quoted as saying by TVN24 adding that the changes proposed by Russia are inconsistent with what had already been decided.
"We are waiting for a reaction from our side. We will also propose that when we plan something, it should be carried out as planned," she added.
The prime minister stressed that any decisions surrounding the monument should be based on common sense and not be politically-charged since it commemorates a place where Poles were tragically killed.
The Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia on April 10, 2010. All 96 passengers on board were killed including Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other top Polish government officials. The design of the monument was selected on March 30, 2012, by a unanimous vote in an international competition judged by both Polish and Russian representatives.
