Putin stresses joint effort of CIS nations in WWII victory
Radio Russia, Moscow
8 May 05
[Presenter] Festive events to mark the 60th anniversary of victory
[in World War II] have officially started in Moscow. An informal
CIS summit is the first of them. It is being held at the capital’s
President Hotel.
The head of the Russian state, Vladimir Putin, made an opening speech.
[Putin] The peoples of our states have made the main, decisive
contribution to the defeat of Nazism. This victory was achieved
through their suffering, obtained through their innumerable casualties,
forged by joint struggle and work.
Today, because of the joint efforts of the member states of the CIS,
a lot has been done to ensure that the anniversary of the Great
Victory would get the widest and the most objective resonance. It
is precisely following our initiative that the UN General Assembly
has declared 8-9 May of this year to be a day of reconciliation and
remembrance, and called for the efforts of states to be combined in
the fight against the ideological successor to Nazism, terrorism,
and against ideological doctrines based on racism and xenophobia.
[Presenter] I will add that the leaders of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine,
as well as acting president of Kyrgyzstan are taking part in the CIS
summit apart from the Russian president. [Passage omitted]