Official website of the President of Russia

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, friends,

I want to wish you a warm welcome to Moscow. We are very happy to see our Chinese friends at this time when the entire Russian people is celebrating Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The Soviet Union and China were the countries that suffered the most in World War II. It was in these two countries that the greatest number of people lost their lives.

We are very pleased to have this opportunity to discuss current cooperation matters on the sidelines of these holiday celebrations. Of course, now, at the start of our meeting, I want to note the particularly high level and trusting nature of our relations.

Friends, I wish you welcome.

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping (retranslated): President Putin, friends,

I am very happy that today, I am finally able to fulfil a long-held dream. Thank you for this warm welcome.

Moscow is set to host big celebrations this year. I was told that around 30 heads of state and heads of international organisations will take part in the events celebrating the 70^th anniversary of Victory in World War II here in Moscow. This is a very important holiday of course.

Mr President, you rightly noted just now that China and Russia fought militarism together during the years of World War II. China entered the war against Japanese militarism and fascism earlier than everyone else and fought longer than other countries. China, like Russia, suffered the greatest losses in this war.

During those years, China was the main front in the Second World War in Asia. It was during these years that our peoples forged a strong brotherhood of arms. We will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory in the struggle against the Japanese invaders and victory in World War II on September 3. I invite you warmly to take part in these celebrations.

When we celebrate this common holiday together with the Victory Parade, we do so not out of enmity towards any other countries, but in order to pay tribute to our fallen heroes and make the memory of these pages of history immortal, so that never again will this tragedy of war be repeated. We do so in order to build peace on this Earth. It is with these aims that we celebrate these holiday dates.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I agree completely.

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