Joint Statement by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at the opening of exhibition "Women at war: courageous and heroic"
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Дорогие друзья,
On May 9, 1945, 74 years ago the German Nazis unconditionally surrendered its armed forces. Europe was liberated from the Nazi occupation.
I am honoured today to speak on behalf of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan, and my own country – Kyrgyzstan, the countries of the former Soviet Union, – who did a lot to defeat the German Nazis.
World War II, by far, was the largest and deadliest war in history that took lives of more than 70 million of people, and 27 million of people, almost half of them, were Soviet citizens. 28 million civilians were made homeless, including 5 million children, and 25 million of all homeless were from the Soviet Union. That’s why our countries, which used to belong to the Soviet Union, still keep the memories of that long-gone war. We remember our heroes. On May 4, the Immortal Regiment marched the streets of New York. Dedicated to the celebrations of the Great Victory, this event takes place yearly in many cities of the world and commemorates soldiers who fought against Nazism.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
I would like to ask you all now to honour with a minute of silence the memory of the people who bravely fought against Nazism and sacrificed their life in the hope for future peace and well-being on Earth.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
It became our annual tradition to convene the exhibition in the United Nations dedicated to that heinous war.
William Thackeray, a renowned British novelist and author, once said: “War taxes both men and women alike. It takes the blood of the men, and the tears of the women”.
Indeed, war hasn’t got a woman's face, but women have made an invaluable contribution to the victory in World War II: their heroic deeds equal to the feat of men-soldiers. Unfortunately, WW II was one of the most feminine in history.
In this regard through our exhibit today we wanted to showcase the heroism and sacrifices that the women made during WW II for the sake of peaceful lives of the future generations.
The Soviet women equally with men took a vehement fight against the Nazi occupation at the front and in the rear, survived in the occupation zone, protecting their families and producing ammunition and spare parts for war vehicles. They created their own artillery troops and flight squadrons, carried out the wounded from the battlefield, served as snipers and signalers, exploded bridges, conducted reconnaissance, piloted planes and operated tanks. During the war almost 1 million women were recruited into the Red Army, 80 thousand of them served as the Soviet army officers.
We are proud of the heroic legacy of victory in WW II, gained by the people of our countries.
We humbly bend our knees with deep gratitude to the women-heroes of that war.
Keeping the memory of the bloody ordeals in the last war is the best guarantor of peace and the peaceful existence of various peoples in our world.
We must spare no efforts to promote the basic tenet of mankind – the right to life in peace and security.
If you look through the window right now you’ll see the Tree of Peace and Unity, which was planted on behalf of all United Nations four years ago on this very day, on May 5 to be exact. This tree is a silent – but permanent – symbolic reminder of the fragility of human’s life which is impossible without peace.
Let’s appreciate life, cherish and sustain peace! For the sake of all those perished! For the sake of each and every child who could have been born if his or her possible mother had not been so unjustly killed! For the sake of raising peace-loving descendants!
I thank you.
