MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. In commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis at the end of the Second World War in 2020, Russia will never follow the example set by Poland, who refused to invite Moscow to the commemoration of the start of WWII. Unlike Warsaw, Russia will never capitalize on the memories of the victims of that war, Director of the Russian Historical Society (RHS) and Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview with Izvestia published on Monday.
"Everyone who respects our common historical memory will be a welcome guest at the 75th victory anniversary. Moreover, on May 9 all currently pressing international issues will take a back seat. Russia is not Poland. The Russian leadership will never exploit the sacred memory of those who lost their lives in World War 2," he emphasized.
Naryshkin also added that Warsaw’s snub should be shrugged off, since the methods and arguments of Russia’s Western ‘partners’ have remained unchanged throughout the years and are not dependent on Moscow’s policies. "Let’s be clear, we are unfazed by these typical Russophobic tricks. What grabs the public’s eye here is the fact that those who initiated the politically-motivated sanctions, [made] direct threats and brazen provocations towards our country have now embarked on lecturing us about international law," the intelligence chief pointed out.
He highlighted that "the memory of the Second World War legitimizes a wide array of important political principles: from the collective nature of resolving global issues to the rule of international law and non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states." However, today "not everyone is willing to abide by these rules."
"Ukraine and the Baltic States now have laws rehabilitating Nazi collaborators. Periodically, attempts are being made to sabotage the Immortal Regiment marches overseas, and according to our information, the coordination of these allegedly ‘grassroots’ efforts is handled from a single center across the Atlantic. All these ‘ripples’ only confirm that the Western elites are looking to overhaul the existing system of global governance or, simply put, take control over it," Naryshkin explained.
The intel chief stressed the importance of "expanding the knowledge of history, disclosing documents and participating in open discussions" to counter the aggressive attacks on Russia’s historical memory. Naryshkin underscored that 21 countries would host exhibitions organized under the auspices of the Russian Historical Society this fall.