An international forum of victors, titled 'Great Victory mined by unity' started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flame of Memory and Glory on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. This large-scale rally is attended by about 500 delegates from 16 countries. The forum is held at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War.
The Departmental Chief of the Russian President on inter-regional and cultural relations with foreign countries, Vladimir Chernov, delivered a message from President Vladimir Putin at the plenary meeting. In addition, the Forum's participants were addressed by a veteran of World War II, the Vice chairman of the 'Victory' Organizing Committee, the chairman of the Coordinating Council of the International Union 'Community public organizations of veterans (pensioners) of Independent States', Alexei Sorokin, the Russian President's Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation, co-chair of the Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS Member States, Mikhail Shvydkoy, State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin, and others.
"This forum is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory. The fraternal unity of the peoples who crushed fascism is one of the brightest pages of our history, our main and inviolable value. To keep this value is a great responsibility for future generations. We will always remember this feat and the price of this victory. We will continue to resist attempts to rewrite history," Vladimir Chernov cited Vladimir Putin's message.
Alexei Sorokin, in his turn, on behalf of war veterans expressed gratitude for the revival of the tradition of holding such large-scale events dedicated to the Great Victory. "It is difficult to overestimate the relevance of the subject in the present situation: our community is still tested. The glorious victory in the war remains the foundation, cementing the bonds of friendship between our fathers and grandfathers. The Soviet people demonstrated an unprecedented resilience and courage in those days, mutual assistance, teamwork and friendship of peoples were important factors in achieving victory. We did not think about nationalities being in the trenches and ditches – we were together," he reminded.
Mikhail Shvydkoy drew attention to the fact that the first victory over Nazism was at the end of 1941. "We won't find a family in any country of the former Soviet Union without those who defended their homeland. They fought for a great country where people are not divided according to nationality. Today, the memory of the war is a family memory. This date will live in our hearts while we are alive," he said.
Grigory Karasin said that the holding of this Forum in Moscow is important for Russia. "Such activities are carried out from 2010 and became a tradition. This forum is special, as it is held on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory. Today we are talking about the recognition of all our peoples, about their contribution to the victory. We bow our heads before those who defended us. I am sure that we are able to meet new challenges, such as the glorification of fascism, the rise of nationalism and xenophobia. It is our duty to do everything so that the feat of our fathers and grandfathers will live on for centuries," the diplomat said.
The President of the Development Fund 'Institute of Eurasian Studies', Valery Tursunov, said that today it is impossible to imagine "another country and other people to endure what our country endured." "We must keep the memory of your feat, dear veterans. After 70 years, we've still learned new facts about the heroism of the defenders of the Fatherland, and our duty is to transfer the memory of this to our descendants," he said.
Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), Petro Tolochko, made a presentation on the role of Ukraine in the Great Patriotic War. "All peoples have contributed to the victory. More than 6 million Ukrainians were killed on the battlefield, how can we say that it is not our war? Ukraine has made perhaps an even greater contribution to the victory than many European countries. So it is difficult to reconcile with the fact that Ukraine is now out of context of that great country and the Great Victory. It is blasphemous to those who gave their lives for the victory," he said.
