MINSK, 28 September (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia have consistently promoted initiatives to combat the attempts to falsify the history and to heroize Nazism, Belarus' First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aleksandr Guryanov said during the panel discussion "Belarus and Russia: Expanding joint efforts to counter the attempts to heroize Nazism" as part of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in Minsk on 28 September, BelTA has learned.
“Today, at a time of the complex geopolitical situation, attempts to distort history, to use it as a powerful tool of influence to achieve specific political goals have been growing. In many countries neo-Nazi sentiments have been surging, far-right organizations gaining popularity. Being strategic allies, Belarus and Russia have been taking comprehensive steps to counter these destructive manifestations, to promote the initiatives to counter the heroization of Nazism,” Aleksandr Guryanov noted.
Active bilateral work is in full swing at all possible platforms, in regional international organizations. Special focus is placed on efforts to perpetuate the memory of the feat of the Soviet people, to provide assistance to war veterans, to promote educational work with the youth, open and renovate memorial complexes. “A lot of work is done in the CIS and the CSTO. Statements that we adopt in these organizations translate into our work in other organizations, in particular the United Nations and the OSCE,” the first deputy minister said.
“Thanks to the constructive and trust-based cooperation between Belarus and Russia, similar approaches to cooperation, our countries have coordinated positions on a number of security issues, including counteraction to Nazism, falsification of history, fight against intolerance and discrimination,” Aleksandr Guryanov said.
The 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will be held via videoconferencing on 28 and 29 September. The theme of the forum is Historical Heritage of the Great Victory as a Basis for the Development of Social, Economic and Spiritual Ties between the Peoples of Belarus and Russia. The program includes five sections in several themed areas: parliamentary cooperation, joint economic projects, the feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, counteraction to the glorification of Nazism, increasing the activity of the rural youth. There will also be a joint session of the Business Councils of Belarus and Russia and a high-level expert session on Education as the Basis of Historical Memory and Further Integration Development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
Issues of regional cooperation, implementation of documents adopted at the previous forums, and the development of sci-tech cooperation between the two countries will be considered at the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Inter-regional Cooperation of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia.
A plenary session will be held as a central event of the forum to take stock of the work of the sections, discuss key issues and adopt the final document.
