Vladimir Putin has sent greetings to the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, who were part of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, on the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Kremlin has said in a statement.
Putin stressed that “we acknowledge our gratitude and respect to our fathers and grandfathers who fought shoulder to shoulder… and worked tirelessly on the home front, who, through immeasurable sacrifice and hardship, brought the long-awaited victory over the Nazi invaders ever closer,” the statement read.
He also addressed the public in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Moldova, urging them “to preserve the memory of those harsh war years and pass on to future generations the fine traditions of friendship and mutual assistance that bind the peoples of our countries.”
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