24.04.2024

On 24 April 2024, in Moscow, at the CSTO Secretariat consultations of the CSTO member states under the chairmanship of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the theme: "On topical issues of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation" took place.


24.04.2024

From 1 to 23 April 2024, the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hosted the regular IX Training Courses of the CSTO member states for senior staff and leading specialists of defense departments, law enforcement agencies, security council apparatuses, security agencies and special services, as well as bodies authorized to prevent and eliminate emergency situations.


22.04.2024

On 22 April 2024, the CSTO Secretariat hosted a working meeting between the Deputy Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Samat Ordabaev, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Asia, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Kakha Imnadze.


The speech by Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan at the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War

The speech by Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan at the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War 11.11.2019
November 10, 2019

Dear Sergei Viktorovich,

Welcome to the Republic of Armenia. I am pleased that you immediately came here from the airport in order to open this meaningful exhibition - “Flowers to the Fighters”, paintings by Martiros Saryan dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Great Victory in 1965.

Dear members of the delegations,
Dear friends,
Excellencies
My dear fellow citizens and friends.

The 9th of May is our common holiday, the day of our common memory of how we fought shoulder to shoulder, worked side by side, and how we went towards the Great Victory together. This Great Victory is the common heritage of all the peoples of the former USSR, as well as the peoples of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. This is a truly global holiday, because the Great Patriotic War, World War II was a battle for the future of all humankind.

From generation to generation, our families retain the memory of the fallen in the war, the memories and experiences of the war veterans. And this memory cannot let us forget the truth that it was the indestructible brotherhood, unity, solidarity of our peoples that helped defeat fascism and rid the world of the fascism. Therefore, all the more, the attempts of those who seek to rewrite history and distort the truth about the war are unacceptable.

May 9 is a holiday for each of us - after all, every Soviet family sent a father, son, brother, grandson to the front. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought at the front and worked in the rear at the limit of human strength, not sparing their health and life, showing true examples of heroism, sacrifice, nobility and true patriotism.

My family, I personally grew up with these memories, was raised by my grandfather, who was a fighter and fought in the Second World War and World War II.

Dear friends, the Armenians have a special attitude to the Victory Day, to the feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. And this is no coincidence.

600 thousand sons of the Armenian people from the Republic of Armenia, from other Union republics and from the diaspora visited the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, half of them-314 thousand did not return from the battlefield.

On the battlefields, 6 Armenian national divisions of the Red Army bravely fought, in which 60 thousand sons of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people fought. By the way, these were the only national divisions in the entire Soviet Union that fought on different fronts of the Soviet-German front line. Of these formations, the most famous is the 89th Rifle Taman Red Banner Order of the Kutuzov and Red Star Division, which went the glorious military path from the foothills of the Caucasus to Berlin - 2700 kilometers.

A significant contribution to the Great Victory was also made by the Armenian Division, which along with various types of support provided also formed two tank columns - “David of Sasun” and “Marshal Baghramyan”.

The foreign Armenian diaspora also widely participated in the fight against Nazism: its representatives joined the Resistance movement, fought in the Allied armies, and raised funds to help the Red Army.

Today in every Armenian village, not to mention cities, the obelisks of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War are carefully preserved and landscaped. Almost all of them are included in the lists of monuments of history and culture, approved by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, are under the protection of the state.

And the 9th of May, according to a tradition that has been around for many decades, thousands of people of all ages and views, leaders of the Republic, command staff of the national army, the entire diplomatic corps come to the “Victory” Park in Yerevan with flowers and wreaths to eternal light at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In the bitter trials of the World War II, a series of brilliant military leaders had been formed: 4 marshals, 1 admiral, 65 Armenian generals, who received these ranks on the battlefields. 114 Armenian generals took part in the Great Patriotic War. We are especially proud of the names of Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Ivan Stepanovich Isakov, Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces Amazasp Khachaturovich Babadzhanyan, Air Marshal Sergei Alexandrovich Khudyakov (Armenak Khanferyants), Marshal of Engineering Troops Sergey Khristoforovich Agapov, other generals and military leaders.

118 Armenians and natives of the Republic of Armenia (108+10) were awarded the highest title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the brave pilot Nelson Georgievich Stepanyan and Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan were awarded this title twice, more than 70 thousand Armenian soldiers were awarded orders and medals of the USSR. 27 Armenians were awarded the Order of Glory of the Soviet Union of all degrees.

Dear compatriots, eternal glory to our heroes who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our country! Honor and glory to our valiant ancestors who selflessly fought at the front and worked at the home-front, helping to achieve the Great Victory!!

Today, as on the Victory Day, we honor war veterans with special warmth.

Years, decades fly by, the running of time is relentless, and now the youngest of them is 94-95, or even more years. Therefore, we wish all veterans good health, vitality and optimism. Generations are morally in debt to the courage and feat of former veterans. We bow down before you and send our deepest gratitude to you for what you are with us, for what you have done for humanity and continue to do for people, passing on your invaluable experience of your life, your wealth of knowledge to the younger generation!

Thank You.


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