Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the concert of the Turetsky Choir “Victory Songs”
Dear Colleagues,
Dear friends,
Welcome to today’s special event, a concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
This is a sacred date for every Russian citizen, for the peoples of the former Soviet Union and for everybody who honors the memory of those who saved humanity from Nazism. We bow our heads before the heroism of soldiers and home front workers, partisans and concentration camp prisoners, residents of besieged Leningrad – these people forged the Victory together, shoulder to shoulder. They sacrificed their lives and health to fight the Nazi invaders so that those to come had a peaceful sky over their heads. This feat is immemorial.
The Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Hitler's Germany, and paid a huge price for it – over 27 million Soviet people died. But those sacrifices were not in vain. It was owing to that Victory that the United Nations was established “to maintain international peace and security” and “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.
On this solemn evening, it is with particular warmth that we greet our veterans. Despite their years, they are with us today. It is a great honor for us to have you here. We also welcome Permanent Representatives of UN Member States, diplomats of foreign missions, members of the Secretariat and all our guests. Thank you for making the time to come to today's event.
Victory in the Second World War was a shared accomplishment. Russia has never belittled the significance of the second front nor the importance of the assistance provided by the Allies. We do remember and appreciate everyone's contribution. It is symbolic that this concert is taking place within the walls of the United Nations, which is “a center for harmonizing the actions of nations”.
Dear friends,
Today you will enjoy a performance by the Turetsky Choir, a world-famous vocal group from Russia, which for many years has been making a solid contribution to safeguarding the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. They have already performed in this hall back in 2018, and that was a resounding success.
Together with the female art group SOPRANO, the artists will perform songs of the war years and iconic compositions glorifying the feat of arms of the Soviet people. This concert is part of the international project “Victory Songs” – a musical bridge of memory between the modern generation and those who fought in the Great Patriotic War. Since 2015, this project has been uniting people around the world through music.
May this evening be a reminder not only of the past, but also of our joint responsibility for peace today and tomorrow.
Music unites. Memory unites. Victory unites.
Enjoy your evening. Enjoy the concert.
Happy Victory Day!
