The message reads, in part:
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and World War II. For Russia and the People’s Republic of China, these dates are of special significance. The peoples of our two nations bore the heaviest losses in their struggle against Nazism and militarism. Fighting side by side, they made a decisive contribution to defeating the enemy.
Russia will never forget the courage and heroism of our Chinese brothers-in-arms who gave their lives for our common Victory. The same care is demonstrated in the People’s Republic of China regarding the memory of Soviet soldiers and officers who lost their lives fighting the aggressors on Chinese soil.
We find the cynical attempts at rewriting history and whitewashing Nazis and their supporters to meet certain political interests absolutely unacceptable. Such actions are not only immoral; they also push the world towards new conflicts, cruelty and violence.
I am certain that your conference would help accurately present the events of those years, immortalise the heroic deeds of our fathers and grandfathers, and make a significant contribution to educating the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism, humanism and friendship between peoples.”
The Russian-Chinese conference The Role of the USSR and China in Defeating Fascism and Japanese Militarism in World War II is taking place in Moscow on May 5–6.