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WWII remembered while Putin’s eye on Poland
Published: 31 August, 2009, 17:18
Edited: 16 April, 2010, 03:45
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (AFP Photo / Ria Novosti / Pool / Alexey Druzhinin)
(21.9Mb) embed videoTAGS: Meeting, Putin, Politics, Europe, Mass media
History should be a basis for peace and partnership between nations. Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has laid out his view of the global tragedy.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend a Polish commemorative ceremony, which will look back at the catastrophic events which occurred on the 1st September, 1939.
In an interview given to a Polish newspaper, Vladimir Putin noted that Russia and Poland were partners against a common enemy and thanked the country for respecting the graves of 600,000 Russian soldiers located on the country’s territory.
The key point of the interview was, however, that nobody can rewrite history and the outcomes of the Second World War:
“The canvas of history is not a third-rate copy which can be roughly retouched or, following customer's orders, modified by the addition of bright or dark tints. Unfortunately, such attempts to rehash the past are quite common today. We see efforts to tailor history to immediate political needs,” Putin said.
The Prime Minister said that the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition was a perfect example of providing collective security in Europe. He also mentioned that this kind of security can only be provided with the participation of all countries, including Russia:
“All experience of the pre-war period provides strong evidence that it is impossible to set up an efficient system of collective security without the involvement of all the countries of the continent, including Russia,” the premier noted.
“I am sure Europe is able to give a joint impartial assessment of our common tragic past and to avoid repeating the same mistakes,” he added.
Putin also explained that Russia’s current partnership with Germany should serve as an example for future cooperation between Russia and Poland. He mentioned that, regrettably, there has been a long pause in the relationship between the two countries.
Read also: Russia's Medvedev Slams Europe for Ignorance in History
31.08.2009, 13:57
1 comment
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31.08.2009, 17:39
2 comments
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Kindest regards to Astraea for her (or his) great comment. It is sad that the most beautiful and worthy ideas are disregarded by so many... I can only guess. And the only answer I can think of is: politicians. Selfish, power-hungry politicians. Now, I'm not a historian nor a politician - I pay a lot of interest in both though. Call me silly and naive but I believe in friendship between countries that are so closely related, with such similar language and culture such as: Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia… and Others... for the sake of…. Future! Let's let the historians do their job about the Past, and let's give them independence in doing so - We should never let politicians do historians job - It's like asking for trouble! Being a "Polak", I can't deny the weight of the fact that over 20 thousand of our officers and noble citizens had been murdered by Soviets in Katyn. I would however like to point out that: Those Were Soviet officers! and NOT the Russian folk, who had No say in that! My grandfather (Polish Officer during both World Wars) had been murdered in the same fashion by a polish! communist. Truth be told, the guy that shot him was “endorsed” by soviets. History is tricky, isn’t it? I don’t claim to know much about history. I only say: Take It Easy! What happened 70 years ago should not part people Now! I live in Australia since 3 years. I don’t love it, but there’s One good thing about it: I gained distance to my Patriotism – I can tell where my Patriotism ends and Nationalism begins. I love My country, as much as I love my roots – and my roots are are all Slavic. Hence, I treat any and every Slav I meet as Brother or Sister. …and simply hope for the best That’s how stupid and committed I am to an I idea that I hope at least some of you will at least dignify with a smile Cheers to all! Karol K.
I hope and pray that Putin and all great leaders of Russia will come out with all of the truth so that they can be on honest and trusting, confident terms with Poland and all the neighbours of Russia. I really would like to see Russia safe and secure and happy - at peace with all the surrounding countries. But, how can that be while there is this frightening history being hidden away from the World?
Please forgive the fact my post doesn't stick together at times. Thing is: I had to trim it down to fit the limits of this forum rules - I might have been a bit reckless whilst cutting but that's only 'cause I'm tired and I want to hit the pillow Now...