Union State MPs urged to fight attempts to belittle role of Soviet soldiers as liberators

Sergei Naryshkin

MINSK, 10 June (BelTA) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union State must fight attempts to belittle the role of Soviet soldiers as liberators, Speaker of the State Duma of Russia, Union State PA Chairman Sergei Naryshkin said at the 50th session of the Union State Parliamentary Assembly on 10 June, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Naryshkin stressed that the two countries will always honor the memory of the Great Patriotic War that started 75 years ago. He pointed out that some countries are making repeated attempts to rewrite the history, belittle the role of Soviet soldiers as liberators and heroize the Nazis and their accomplices. “The Parliamentary Assembly must counter such ahistorical and amoral attempts. This is our duty towards fellow citizens, veterans and all those who died defending our land,” Sergei Naryshkin said.

In his address, the Speaker of the State Duma touched upon various aspects of the cooperation between Belarus and Russia. He pointed out that the countries have a solid foundation for moving forward, as a lot has been achieved over the past 20 years. Sergei Naryshkin said that the bilateral relations are regulated by a well-developed legal framework comprising more than 200 agreements. Considerable effort is made to strengthen defense capacity, bolster humanitarian cooperation, and ensure equal rights to Belarusian and Russian citizens. Equality of rights has been almost achieved in the education and employment sectors. Belarus and Russia mutually recognize records about the length of employment. The countries are building common migration space and have agreed to mutually waive some requirements that are compulsory for nationals of other countries.

Sergei Naryshkin believes that the administration of the Union State budget should be monitored more closely. This particularly applies to joint programs and implementation of their results. “Given the economic difficulties, we should pay special attention to interregional cooperation which is able to make a considerable contribution to our trade,” Sergei Naryshkin emphasized. In this context, he stressed the importance and effectiveness of the recent Belarus-Russia Forum of Regions.

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