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Four new Cossack villages to appear in Australia soon

The main tasks of Australian Cossacks are support for the Russian culture, traditions, language and promotion of relations with Russia

SYDNEY, April 8 (Itar-Tass) – Four new Cossack villages will appear in Australia within the upcoming months, the chieftain of the first Cossack village in Australia, Simeon Boykov, told Itar-Tass on Monday.

He commented on the decision of the Trans-Baikal Cossack Troops’ leadership to transform the Cossack village in Kemps Creek, a suburb of Sydney, into the embassy department of the Trans-Baikal Cossack Troops in Australia.

Moreover, four new Cossack villages will be opened in Australia – in Melbourne, Geelong, Dandenong and Tasmania, Boykov said.

Australia’s first Cossack village was established in 2011.

“At present, it unites around 150–160 Cossacks. We live in a very big country and it is difficult for us to coordinate from Sydney the current activity of Cossacks residing in other states,” he said. “This fact as well as the growth of those who wish to join the Cossack units dictated our request to the Trans-Baikal Cossack Troops to create new villages.”

“Chieftains of new villages have not chosen yet, this should happen until June 3,” Boykov said. “In early May the delegation of Cossacks will arrive in the Trans-Baikal Territory and will take part in the Big Circle of the Trans-Baikal Cossack Troops. Then upon their return chieftains of new villages will be chosen and we will prepare for our Big Circle.”

Boykov noted that new villages will serve as units of the embassy department in Australia.

“They need this not to undergo registration of their status as the country’s public organizations,” he said. “We’ve already passed this registration, therefore no new procedures will be necessary.”

Boykov named “preservation of and support for the Russian culture, traditions, language and promotion of relations with Russia” as the main tasks of Australian Cossacks.

“Cossacks are very serious towards their work, but it proceeds slowly, therefore many things should be done for the first time,” he said.