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03 December 2019, 20:00

Belarus thanks Norway for good care of memory of Soviet liberators

MINSK, 3 December (BelTA) – Norway carefully preserves the memory about the Soviet soldiers, who died fighting to liberate the country or who perished in Nazi camps for prisoners of war. The importance of the fact was remarked upon by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Norway (non-resident) Dmitry Mironchik during an event held near the monument to fallen Soviet soldiers in Oslo, BelTA has learned.

The ambassador thanked the Oslo government for taking good care of monuments to Soviet soldiers and preserving memory about World War Two victims. The monument in Oslo was erected in 1946-1947 upon the initiative of the Norwegian general public on a mass grave where remains of fallen Soviet soldiers were reburied after the war. A commemorative plaque on a granite pedestal was opened near the monument on 9 May 2000, the 55th anniversary of the victory. It has inscription in Russian and Norwegian that reads: “Here lie 347 Soviet soldiers, who fell in Norway in 1941-1945”.

A representative of the Royal Guard of Norway handed over a capsule containing soil collected near the monument to Soviet soldiers to the Belarusian ambassador. A platoon of guard of honor, diplomats, and representatives of the general public were present during the event. The capsule will be placed into the crypt of the All Saints Church in Minsk.

Thus, the Belarusian diplomats joined the commemorative campaign “To the Glory of the Common Victory!”, which is going on in Belarus and is meant to become a central component in celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Soviet nation's victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The campaign is designed to help preserve and enhance historic memory and immortalize names of the veterans. Soil from sites of military glory is solemnly collected in Belarus, in hero cities, and in countries liberated by the Soviet Army as part of the campaign. A special ceremony will take place during the celebrations in Minsk in May 2020 once the capsules with the soil are delivered.

Oslo, the capital city of Norway, was one of the first locations outside Belarus where such a solemn ceremony has been arranged. Norway is the northernmost European country the Soviet Army helped liberate. The Nazi invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. A vigorous underground resistance movement operated in Norway. The Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive was the largest World War Two battle in Norway. As a result of the offensive the Soviet Army liberated the country's north in October 1944.

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