CIS representatives in OSCE adopt statement on 72nd anniversary of Great Patriotic War victory Politics
The statement reads: “Victory Day has rightly gone down in history as a symbol of courage and heroism, unmatched acts of bravery and most severe trials that dozens of millions of people had to endure in order to secure freedom and save humanity from Nazism. We think highly of the contribution of the Allied nations to the common victory in World War Two, the decisive role played by the nations of the Soviet Union, who crushed Wehrmacht's main forces, and the contribution of other nations, who resisted the Nazi. We pay a tribute of remembrance to people of all the nationalities and countries, who fell while fighting this evil on frontlines, in resistance movements, who were killed by bombs or in Nazi death camps. We bow deeply before those, who worked selflessly on the homefront to secure the common victory.”
The diplomats also reminded about 11 April when the international day of liberation of the Nazi concentration camps is observed. It was introduced in memory of the rebellion staged by inmates of the Buchenwald death camp in April 1945.
“Attempts to falsify the history of the war and erase tragic history lessons from our memory are unacceptable. It is our duty to take care of war veterans and former death camp prisoners, whose numbers dwindle every year. It is our duty to hold dear the memory about all the victims of Nazism, to preserve their graves and their monuments, and to prevent attempts to defile them,” the statement reads. “Through joint efforts we should counteract any attempts to rehabilitate crimes of the Nazi and their collaborators, who have been convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal. We should work to punish those, who have managed to evade righteous retribution so far. Such crimes must be punished regardless of how long ago they were committed.”
Since the practical implementation of racial supremacy theories was one of the main driving forces of World War Two, the permanent representatives of the CIS states expressed concern about the rebirth of Nazi ideology, the growing number of manifestations of nationalism, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. They believe that such phenomena must be decisively countered without lenience.
The diplomats pointed out that the anniversary of the victory over the Nazi is a reminder for everyone to consolidate efforts of the international community, including OSCE member states, on indivisible security principles. It is necessary to generate stable immunity to the virus of Nazism and its manifestations in order to prevent the catastrophe of World War Two from happening again.