Russia welcomes the visits of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to Moscow on May 9 to participate in the celebrations in honor of the Great Victory, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated during a briefing for journalists on March 20, in response to a question from a Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent
"We are waiting for the leadership of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. And, of course, we are always happy to see the countries' leaders who have received an invitation and confirmed their participation. We are conducting large-scale preparations in all areas. Our entire state is involved in ensuring a worthy celebration of this most important and unifying date. We remember the contribution of each of the peoples of the multinational Soviet Union and their significant role in the common victory over German Nazism and Japanese militarism", the Russian diplomat said.
She recalled that hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and Armenians heroically took part in all significant operations of the Great Patriotic War.
"About half of them did not return from the front. More than 100 representatives from each republic at that time - and now independent states - became heroes of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijani oil workers played a crucial role, supplying the lion's share of oil and oil products to the front. Armenia produced more than 300 types of products needed for the front", the representative of the Foreign Ministry said. The most important thing is that these countries preserve the memory of those events, of the war, as sincerely and carefully as Russia does, she added.
"They do not rewrite history. On the contrary, they do everything to preserve it and pass it on to future generations, who are raised with the appropriate respect for the heroic deeds of soldiers. We see how these countries also hold commemorative events every year, and how we jointly undertake efforts at international platforms in this context", Maria Zakharova emphasized.
She also expressed gratitude to the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia for their careful attitude to the monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.
"Taking this opportunity and your question, I would like to expess my huge gratitude to these countries for caring for the memorials, the complexes, the graves where soldiers of all nationalities - including those associated with our multinational country - rest", the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
