BEIJING, April 15, 6:33 /ITAR-TASS/. Friendship that the peoples of Russia and China forged during World War, in which they were allies, and their wartime mutual assistance laid a firm basis for today's Russian-Chinese relations of strategic partnership, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says in an interview with China Daily published Tuesday.
“Immediately after the invasion by militarist Japan of China, the Soviet Union rendered assistance to its neighbor,’ he recalls. “Pilots of both countries were fighting shoulder to shoulder. After the victory over fascist Germany, our country took an active part in defeating the Kwantung Army and in the liberation of Northeast China.”
“The peoples of our countries suffered heavy losses in the war,” Lavrov says. “Using this opportunity, I would like to express gratitude for the care for the remembrance of Soviet warriors, for memorials, monuments, and grave sites in China.”
He especially stresses the identical approaches to the assessment of the WWII outcome Russia and China maintain the same approaches, which are maintained by the two countries.
This can be seen, in particular, in the Joint Statement of the President of the Russian Federation and the President of the People's Republic of China on the 65th Anniversary of the End of World War II, issued in Beijing on September 27, 2010, Lavrov says.
“The solidarity of our countries is of significant importance against the background of constant attempts to falsify the history, negate the deeds of soldiers-liberators, and whitewash German fascism and Japanese militarism,” he says.
“We believe that recognition in full extent of WWII outcomes, which are fixed in the UN Charter and other international documents, is imperative for all the states,” Lavrov says.
“First of all, it is the inviolability of all the decisions taken by victorious powers, which is enshrined in Article 107 of the UN Charter,” he indicates. No action or statement must dispute this fundamental principle, which underlies the present-day world order.”
Lavrov believes that an approach of this kind can enable the reinforcement of global and regional security and stability, and the development of mutually profitable cooperation for the benefit of all countries and peoples.
Taking into account the significance of the 70th anniversary of Victory in World War II, “we have reached an agreement with the Chinese to hold a number of joint events, bilateral and in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well, he said
These events will be aim “to emphasize the contributions made by Russia and China to the Victory and counteract the attempts to distort the historical truth,” Lavrov indicated.