By Vestnik Kavkaza
The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, India, South Africa, Venezuela, Vietnam, Germany, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Macedonia, Mongolia, Palestine, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Cyprus, Serbia, Czech Republic, and the head of the UN Ban ki-Moon confirmed their presence at the solemn events in Moscow on May 9th. The International Forum ‘‘Great Victory Procured by Unity’’ has taken place in Moscow ahead of Victory Day. Veterans from 16 countries arrived in the capital in order to remember how they met the triumphal spring 70 years ago. Moscow is hosting the forum of victors for the first time. According to tradition, it is held in the cities of military glory. The first was opened in Tuapse in 2010.
The Forum was opened with the laying of wreaths at the Flame of Memory and Glory at Poklonnaya Hill. Representatives of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the CIS Executive Committee, ambassadors of foreign countries and other officials congratulated veterans. On behalf of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the head of the Russian President for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, Vladimir Chernov sent the veterans greetings on the occasion of the holiday: “Celebrating this special, unforgettable day, we feel a sense of pride from the heroism, exemplary courage and firmness of the older generation, who defended peace and freedom for our nations. The fraternal unity of the Soviet people defeated Nazism. It is one of the brightest and most unforgettable pages of our common history. We will always honor those who gave their lives on the battlefields, with deep gratitude, care for our veterans and home front workers.Our debt is to remember the price of the Victory and bring up new generations with a careful attitude towards its heritage and strong resistance to attempts to rewrite history.”
Aleksei Sorokin, war veteran, Admiral of the Fleet, Vice-Chairman of the "Victory" Organizing Committee, thinks that “the importance of the theme: Cultural Forum of the History of the Great Victory, Procured Together, is difficult to overestimate in the current situation. In recent years, our community has worked with perseverance, which is worth a better application. It continues to experience our maturity, the strength of friendship and unity of fraternal relations among the nations who defeated fascism, in order to provide allegiance to our common historical traditions and inseparable ties among generations. Undoubtedly, the glorious victory has been and still remains the foundation for strengthening of friendship ties and fraternity among our brothers, fathers, grandfathers who bonded together through bloodshed in the cruel struggle against the Nazi invaders.”
“We gathered in Moscow at the Forum of the Victors. We won together, I think that it is no coincidence. Here in the October, November, December days in 1941, the Soviet Army won its first major victory over the fascist troops. This essentially turned the war around,” Mikhail Shvydkoy, special representative of the President of Russia for International Cultural Cooperation, reminded. “And from whichever of the republics of the former Soviet Union we came from: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine or Belarus. Or any new country, everywhere we can meet the families whose fathers and grandfathers fought here, in Moscow. All the Soviet people gave the first resistance to the fascist troops. And no one even thought about the nationality of your trench mate, who provided your covering fire. Everybody fought for the mutual great country, for their Fatherland, which did not divide people into nationalities and ethnic groups.”
In the context of the forum an exhibition was opened dedicated to World War II. “The exhibition that we have the honor to see today is unique. It is dedicated to the contribution of all the people of the Soviet Union in the Victory over fascism. It narrates the role of each republic which was a part of the Soviet Union and supported the achievement of our mutual victory. Our friends from different countries brought stands to the exhibition. Many of the exhibits we'll see for the first time, this is very valuable. And the most important thing is that it reflects how sacred the memory of World War II is. The exhibition narrates about the courage which people of different nationalities demonstrated in the years of war. And of course, how many people of our country gave their lives for the sacred victory,” Dmitry Medvedev, сhairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, said.
“It is bad that many of the current generation forgot what the mutual Victory of the Soviet people in World War II means. But the most important thing is the that we must know that the peoples of the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries – we all fought for the Soviet power, for the Soviet Motherland against the German fascist invaders. We know a lot of people who gave their lives in order to defend our Fatherland. In particular, Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other people of the Caucasus. Glory to those who did not return from the fronts of World War II. We will never forget their heroic deeds. For what it is worth, we will be together,” Peter Aleksandrov, chairman of the Veterans Committee for work with young people, told Vestnik Kavkaza.
