ZHANBEI, China, 6 May, RIA Novosti. The history of the Soviet Union's great sacrifice in the fight against Nazism during World War II lives on in people's memory, and it is impossible to erase and conceal these facts, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said on Friday.
On Friday, the SCO Secretary-General, as well as diplomats and military attaches from countries of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, laid wreaths and live flowers at a memorial to Soviet and Mongolian soldiers who were killed while liberating China from Japanese invaders during World War II. The ceremony took place in Zhangbei County, part of Zhangjiakou, a prefecture-level city in the Hebei Province, northeastern China, and marked the 77th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"The Great Patriotic War, fought by the Soviet Union, was an important element of World War II. We are here today to pay tribute to fallen Soviet and Mongolian heroes," Zhang Ming told Russian journalists.
He noted that, while the war had ended in Europe, hostilities still continued in the Far East. Consequently, the Red Army and the Mongolian Army declared war on Japan and joined the Chinese people's struggle against Japanese aggression.
(Translator's Note: The Red Army was renamed the Soviet Army after World War II). "This day still has great significance for the people of China and people all over the world because these heroes sacrificed their lives in World War II to repel Nazi aggression and to protect peace, freedom and independence around the world," he added.
The SCO Secretary-General noted that humankind has been able to live in peace for over 70 years since World War II, and that a postwar international order had been established. "We must pay tribute to them, honour their memory and recall history in order to preserve and protect peace and make it lasting, so that our international order would be fairer, more rational and equitable," he added.
Replying to a question on the importance of remembering the Red Army's contribution to victory in World War II, when some countries have forgotten about it, Zhang Ming said:
"History is history, and the history of World War II, especially the Red Army's great sacrifice and tremendous contribution to the global anti-Nazi war, still lives on in our memory, although over 70 years have passed since then."
"Although some may hush this up and conceal these facts, they will be unable to realise their plans," he noted.
Zhang Ming added that "we have gathered here today to honour the memory of these heroes and to pass on this history from generation to generation."
"It is only by remembering history that we will be able to preserve our world and allow the international order to develop in an equitable and rational direction," he noted.