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On May 9, 2010, the peoples of the Commonwealth of Independent States member countries will celebrate the 65^th anniversary of the Soviet people’s victory in the  Background information Great Patriotic War Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. In a war of unprecedented intensity and cruelty the Soviet Union’s multiethnic people and armed forces defended their homeland’s freedom and independence and saved many countries from Nazi enslavement.

On the frontlines and in the rear our peoples showed a selfless spirit, mass heroism, patriotism and internationalism, and incredible endurance, without which this victory would not have been possible. Never before had history seen such steadfast spirit or such determination to win.

The greatness of this feat accomplished by our peoples has lost none of its shine over the passing years. The more time passes since these events, the clearer we realise the full significance of the historical mission our victorious soldiers fulfilled, fighting for their right to a future. Today, therefore, addressing the peoples of our countries and the world at large, we say “thank you” to the veterans still with us today. We make a call to pay tribute to these victorious heroes not just in words but also in deed, to show daily concern for our war veterans and those who toiled on the home front, and to pay attention to them and give them decent living conditions.

For our peoples May 9, Victory Day, is a day when we celebrate the triumph of justice and pride, and when we mourn together the millions who died in this infinitely cruel and terrible war. We hold dear and sacred the names of those who fell bravely over the years of the Great Patriotic War. We still have a debt before those who defended our homeland, and thus our freedom, at the cost of their own lives.

We will never forget the heroism of the soldiers and the home front toilers who saved the world from fascism. We therefore call for all to honour the sacred memory of those who fell for our motherland’s freedom and independence, care for and look after war graves, memorials, monuments and obelisks, and also the graves of partisans, underground resistance fighters, and Nazi camp inmates, and to step up efforts to find the remains of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the Great Patriotic War at the hands of Nazi invaders.

We do not divide this victory into ours and theirs, but pay tribute to the courage of all who fought against Nazism. We remember the contribution our allies in the anti-Nazi coalition made to victory, and remember the help they gave us. But the biggest and ultimately most decisive events took place on the Soviet-German front. Our countries lost tens of millions of people during the war, and people of all nationalities were among those who fell on the battle fields.

In light of our peoples’ decisive contribution to the victory over Nazism we make a call to instil in our young people a sense of pride in their common heroic past and the great achievements in battle against fascism. 

We reaffirm our commitment to the universal principles and rules of international law, the provisions of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, and call on all countries to cooperate actively to strengthen security and stability in the world, increase efforts in the fight against international terrorism and extremism, seek political solutions to current conflicts and work to prevent potential future conflicts.