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Lavrov vows Russia will continue countering attempts to rewrite history

The Russian Foreign Ministry said last week that all the leaders of the CSTO member states had been invited to attend celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory on May 9

© Vitaly Belousov/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The fight against falsifying the history of WWII will be a top-priority issue in Russia’s work as chair of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the post-Soviet security bloc, Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday opening a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.

"This [the preservation of historical memory and the fight against falsifying the history of WWII] is the focal point in our initiatives and our priorities during Russia’s presidency. In addition to the political, memorial and military aspects, there is the legal component as well, because attempts are being made to call into question the legal results of WWII," Lavrov stated.

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"[Russian President] Vladimir Putin has made a point of that more than once, Belarusian President [Alexander] Lukashenko has likewise regularly stressed that rewriting the history of that war is inadmissible. I am certain that all CSTO member states see eye to eye on that, and our joint work shows that. We will help you in every possible way in all areas of activity approved by the head of state," he added.

In response, Zas noted that Victory Day celebrations were an event that is "enormous in terms of its impact on people," adding that a series of exhibitions on the issue were planned. "We need to uphold the truth and counter all attempts to falsify [history]. This is the primary objective of this work, the more so since we have such a good reason, the 75th anniversary of the Victory," he concluded.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said last week that all the leaders of the CSTO member states had been invited to attend celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory on May 9.

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