I cordially welcome the organisers, participants and guests of the International Scientific Conference on the "Moscow Declaration of 1943 – the fundamental document on the Second Austrian Republic".

It is hard to overestimate the importance of the Declaration on Austria adopted at the meeting of the USSR, USA and UK foreign ministers 70 years ago. This declaration, which was signed at the initiative of the Soviet government, formulated a common policy for the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition in respect of this Alpine republic, and guaranteed the Austrian people the right to create a sovereign state and the return of their territories, which were lost after Austria's forceful attachment to Nazi Germany. This particular document opened up a path for the signing of a State Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria 20 years later, which predetermined the further establishment of the Austrian Republic as one of the important centres of international policy and diplomacy.

Russia attaches great importance to the preservation of the historical truth about the events of the Second World War, confronting any attempts to falsify the results, and to revive extremist ideology. Only together and through far reaching international cooperation can we prevent the repetition of those tragic pages of history of the last century, and make our world safer.

I am convinced that the conference will make a contribution to increase the efficiency of our efforts in this direction.

I wish you successful and fruitful work, and all the best.

SERGEY LAVROV

Moscow, 29 October 2013