MOSCOW, 6 May (BelTA) - The peoples of Belarus and Russia have always rallied together in the face of external challenges, in difficult times, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko told the media after a ceremony to lay a wreath on behalf of the embassy to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on 6 May, BelTA has learned.
"Belarus first faced the challenges that you mean. Now it is Russia who is preparing for the big political events," Ambassador Vladimir Semashko said, when asked about whether the attitude towards Victory Day in Belarus and Russia has changed after the external challenges faced by both states recently.
"Those events, anti-Belarusian andanti-Russian events, they only unite our peoples. Our peoples always come together in difficult times, not only Russians and Belarusians, but peoples of former Soviet republics. An example of this is the Great Patriotic War. That was certainly a test for the Soviet Union and for all its peoples. And you know how hard it was to achieve the Great Victory."
The Ambassador noted that recently foreign countries have been actively discussing who were the main contributors to the victory over fascism. “The answer is simple: let's see how much one or another people has brought to the altar of Victory: 27 million Soviet people have given their lives for Victory, to destroy Nazism,” Ambassador Vladimir Semashko said. “If we look at those who claim to be the major contributor to this Victory, they suffered 300,000-500,000 casualties. These figures speak for themselves.”
"Our peoples have always rallied together when facing such trials," Ambassador Vladimir Semashko said.
