Aleksandr Lukashenko Presented the Address of the CIS Leaders to the 80th Anniversary of the Victory Day

On October 8, the Kremlin is hosting the CIS Heads of State Council Meeting chaired by Vladimir Putin, Russian President. 

“First of all, I would like to emphasize that cooperation within the CIS is one of the main priorities of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation,” the Russian leader said, opening the meeting.

Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian Prime Minister, described the political dialog between Yerevan and Moscow as active.

Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus, presented a joint Address to the peoples of the Commonwealth countries and the world community in connection with the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

“We remember our heroes. But we also remember the pain, grief and suffering of millions of our compatriots. Every 30 seconds the bell of Khatyn reminds us that over 600 Belarusian villages were burned down along with women, children and elderly people,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. "No matter how many years have passed, today we still hear the echo of the silent cry for help coming from the exhausted residents of besieged Leningrad, the laments of millions of Soviet mothers and children, whose sons, daughters and fathers have not returned from the battlefields."

The President of Belarus emphasized that one can steal memory, but not the truth: “Without the heroism of the Soviet people, there would be no states or people who are doing everything they can to discredit the feat of the Soviet people and take away our Great Victory, which unites us so much."

He said that in response to such actions, provisions on the protection of historical truth and the memory of the feat of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War have been introduced into the Constitution of Belarus. Belarus has adopted laws on the prevention of rehabilitation of Nazism and on the genocide of the Belarusian people.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, also spoke about celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

“This anniversary unites all peoples of the Commonwealth, symbolizing the triumph of the ideas of freedom and justice. We must always remember the feat of our fathers and mothers, all war veterans and home front workers, a feat unparalleled in the history of humankind,” the leader of Kazakhstan noted.

Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, emphasized that the Kyrgyz side will actively participate in all events within the CIS to perpetuate the memory of the Great Victory.

Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, noted that the Victory in the Great Patriotic War is the common heritage of all peoples of the USSR. 

On December 19, 2023, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly adopted Recommendations on Liability for the Actions Related to Nazism Rehabilitation and Distortion the Historical Truth. According to the Explanatory Note to the Recommendations, “preserving the historical memory of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, defending the historical truth, preserving and supporting traditional spiritual and moral values are of fundamental importance for all CSTO Member States.”