The commemoration of the end of the second World War this weekend should serve to unite our peoples, writes Ambassador Vladimir Rakhmanin
The most horrendous war in Europe's history ended 60 years ago. A war that claimed the lives of millions of people and that brought endless suffering and grief to almost every European nation.
The biggest hardships befell the Soviet Union, which, in its fight for survival of the nation, lost 27 million lives. Every Russian family was directly affected by the sufferings. In my own family, my father - then a 19-year-old boy - was terribly wounded in the battle near Kursk. My mother lost her beloved younger brother. My mother-in-law lived through the horrors of the siege of Leningrad.
My generation was brought up on examples of real courage, compassion and genuine patriotism demonstrated by the Soviet people in that war. This was a war of a whole nation, which fought in the front line, in occupied territories and worked in the rear to secure a victory. This is why this war in our country is known as the "Great Patriotic War".
The second World War was a tragedy on a massive scale. For the first time the lives of whole nations were at stake in this fight. Gas chambers and crematoriums in Auschwitz and Buchenwald proved what fascism was about, showed a glimpse of the future that would come of its "new order".
This "future" was prevented through joint efforts of the participants of the anti-Hitler coalition. This was our common victory. The second World War was won by all members of the coalition, by everybody in Europe and in Asia, including Germany and other countries influenced by fascist ideology - all those who proved to be strong, determined and humane and willing to stand up against inhuman power.
The Soviet Union sustained the heaviest Nazi attack. That is why the losses were so high. That is why the contribution of our nation in the common victory was so important - two-thirds of Nazi soldiers and three-quarters of their military equipment were destroyed on the Eastern Front.
But we did not divide the victory into shares in 1945, and we are not doing that now in the year of its 60th anniversary. We celebrated together with our allies the 60th anniversary of D-Day; we are now celebrating together the anniversary of the victory in Moscow.
The United Nations has declared May 8th and 9th the Days of Remembrance and Reconciliation. It is in this very spirit that we are holding the events to mark this anniversary in Moscow, in which more than 50 heads of states and governments are taking part, and it gives me great pleasure to mention that among these will be the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.
The war was a major tragedy for the peoples of Europe and the whole world. Many Irish people were also influenced by the war. Irish volunteers took an active part in the military actions of the Allied forces, including participation in the Arctic convoys that provided the delivery of the Allies' assistance (equipment, ammunition, fuel and food) to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel.
Throughout the war there were 41 such convoys involving 791 ships. Seventy-six of those ships were sunk by the Nazis. We appreciate the courage and bravery of the participants of the Arctic convoys - the sailors, pilots, civil specialists - all those who risked their lives for our common victory.
Six Irish participants of the convoys have been decorated by the Russian government with medals for "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", which I had the honour to hand to them last night. The courage and optimism of these people is a true inspiration for us.
Talking about the veterans of the war, remembering those difficult and decisive times, I would like to note the great wisdom that was demonstrated by our fathers and grandfathers, who understood that only through joint efforts could we prevail.
As a diplomat I understand how many difficulties they had to deal with to create such an anti-Nazi coalition. This is why the very fact of its creation could be called the most significant diplomatic breakthrough of its time. The Allies managed to overcome their differences, cast aside the less relevant issues to achieve what mattered most - our common victory.
The aim of preventing mankind from ever experiencing again the horrors of war brought about the ideas of postwar world order and inspired the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition to create a global mechanism to ensure international peace and security - the United Nations. The UN became the universally recognised foundation of modern international relations. Its principles and norms, which successfully withstood the test of time, are at the moment the only ones available to deal with modern challenges and threats in the global environment. And I am glad to work in a country that at the moment is one of the most active supporters of this organisation - in Kofi Annan's words, a model member of the UN.
In the 60 years since the end of the war, mankind has not avoided armed conflicts. However, thanks to the aspiration for mutual understanding and the search for compromise, the world has been able to avoid a large-scale military confrontation. And today, commemorating the 60th anniversary of victory, I believe, is not the time to be divisive. It is the time to remember and express our deep and sincere gratitude to those who saved the people of Europe from Nazism.
After the years of Stalinism and "Cold War", Russian people chose freedom and are building a democratic society for themselves. Europe overcame the difficult legacies and last year welcomed 10 new nations to the European family. Human democratic values are well engrained on our continent. Relations between Russia and the EU are developing progressively. This is the new favourable and encouraging environment for all of us. And it would not be possible without our victory 60 years ago.
Today it is our duty to make sure that this year's commemorations serve to unify countries and nations and to strengthen our solidarity in the face of the global challenges of the 21st century.
Vladimir Rakhmanin is ambassador of the Russian Federation to Ireland