Statement by foreign ministers of the CSTO member states on the unacceptable efforts to dishonour the memory of WWII liberating soldiers
Minsk, July 17, 2017
We, the foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation member states, pay tribute to the memory of tens of millions of our compatriots who died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Reflecting on the feat of those who, 72 years ago, overcame the brown plague, we emphasise that Victory was achieved only thanks to the joint efforts of many peoples for the sake of preserving freedom and the right to determine their future path of development.
We categorically reject and strongly condemn the deliberate efforts to rewrite history, distort and revise the results of WWII, and the attempts to glorify Nazism and militant nationalism. In this regard, we are compelled to express our concern over the unending campaign to dishonour the memory of those who made enormous sacrifices during WWII to liberate the countries of Europe from Nazi aggression and occupation.
Our compatriots have historical experience with the danger and the bloody consequences of the hateful ideology of fascism. We share the feelings of the citizens of our countries who feel pain and indignation when they learn about steps to remove memorials that pay tribute to the past brotherhood in arms, and the sacrifice and heroism displayed in the fight against Nazism, taken at various official levels, including parliamentary. We must not forget that modern generations exist thanks to the Great Victory and continue to benefit from its results.
The corresponding actions constitute direct violations of Resolution 71/179 “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” which was co-authored by all the CSTO member states and adopted during the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.
We consider equally unacceptable, sacrilegious and cynical the initiatives to elevate as national heroes those who acted against the Allies or collaborated with the Nazis, and committed grave crimes during the Second World War.
In this regard, we reiterate that the CSTO member states categorically reject and strongly condemn these purposeful insults to our common history.
Noting the contribution made by the peoples of the world to fighting Nazism, we call upon all countries to honour the memory of the fallen and to maintain military burial sites in proper condition.
