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- Don't believe what's been rewritten: the EU is preparing a new anti-Russian resolution for Victory Day
Don't believe what's been rewritten: the EU is preparing a new anti-Russian resolution for Victory Day
By May 8, the European Parliament is preparing a resolution on the end of World War II. This was reported to Izvestia by a number of interlocutors in the EP. Previous resolutions were anti-Russian and anti-Soviet in nature. Now, according to MEPs, the situation will be similar: it is possible to reconsider the role of the USSR in World War II, condemn repression and the Molotov—Ribbentrop pact. At the same time, there are those among the EP deputies who believe that historical memory should not be manipulated in favor of geopolitical interests. But official Brussels has taken a very definite position on May 9: the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, has already threatened politicians with sanctions if they visit Moscow on Victory Day. New attempts by European officials to rewrite history are described in the Izvestia article.
MEPs are preparing an assessment of the events of the Second World War
The EP is preparing a resolution dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. It is expected that it will be adopted by May 8, Czech MEP Tomasz Zdechowski told Izvestia. At the same time, according to him, there is currently no official confirmation that a resolution specifically dedicated to the role of the USSR will be submitted to the plenary session, which will be held from 5 to 8 May.
— However, in previous years, the European Parliament emphasized the ambivalence of the role of the Soviet Union. On the one hand, as a military force that contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany, and on the other, as a regime responsible for gross violations of human rights both during and after the war, especially in Central and Eastern Europe," he added.
Tomasz Zdechowski believes that a resolution on the role of the USSR should "represent a balanced and historically responsible" document.
— It is necessary to recognize the undeniable sacrifices made by the Soviet people during the military operations, but at the same time recognize the suffering that followed them under the conditions of Stalinist repression and the decades-long occupation of many European countries. Historical memory should remain honest and inclusive, and not be the subject of manipulation in favor of current geopolitical interests," he said.
The preliminary schedule of the plenary session for May 8 includes the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, but the resolution is not mentioned there. As an aide to Bulgarian MEP Peter Volgin explained to Izvestia, the adoption of such a document at the session may become known a week before the meeting.
In turn, French MEP Thierry Mariani made it clear in an interview with Izvestia that the resolution is likely to emphasize the role of the United States and European allies in the liberation of Europe.
— At this stage, the European Parliament has scheduled a debate on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II for May 8. Political groups may demand at the opening of the plenary session that the debate be accompanied by the adoption of a resolution. It is not yet known how the role of the USSR will be reflected if such a resolution is introduced," the politician says.
French MEP Thierry Mariani
Meanwhile, the position of the official Brussels regarding the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory was vividly demonstrated by the head of EU diplomacy, Kaya Kallas. On April 14, she threatened "consequences" for those European leaders who decide to visit Moscow on May 9.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was not afraid of the threats of Callas and confirmed his plans to come to the Victory Day Parade to "pay tribute to the thousands of Red Army soldiers who died during the liberation of Slovakia. And millions of other victims of Nazi atrocities." He emphasized on social media that "the year is 2025, not 1939." According to him, Ms. Kallas's warning only confirms that "the EU needs a serious discussion about the essence of democracy."
On April 15, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that more than 20 heads of state and government were expected in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory. In addition to Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had previously announced his intention to come to Moscow. At the same time, according to media reports, European officials warned him that attending the parade in Moscow in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War could prevent Serbia from joining the European Union.
In addition, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Toh Lam, as well as the Presidents of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Cuba's Miguel Diaz—Canel want to attend the Victory Day parade.
The new resolution will be another attempt to "retroactively end the war with the Soviet Union," historian and political scientist Vladimir Simindey is sure.
— And this will be another reason to throw out accusations against Moscow, the resolution will be filled with anti-Russian invectives. It will be a political pamphlet of Russophobia and anti—Sovietism," the source told Izvestia.
According to the expert, with the help of such resolutions, European countries are trying to mobilize the population in order to present the external enemy, which remains Russia for the EU, as a historical enemy and thereby justify both military spending and the very existence of the European bureaucracy.
What resolutions about the Second World War were adopted earlier
Given that anti-Russian rhetoric in the EU countries has only intensified over the past 20 years, it is quite possible to expect that the wording of a possible resolution will become even tougher. Thus, in the resolution of the European Parliament adopted on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a special tribute was paid to the United States, Great Britain and only then the USSR, despite the fact that the losses of the latter exceeded the losses of the Allies in the conflict by several times. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, about 26.6 million Soviet citizens died in World War II, while the United States lost 407.3 thousand military personnel and about 6 thousand civilians. The losses of Great Britain amounted to 382.6 thousand military personnel and 67.1 thousand civilians.
The 2005 resolution specifically emphasized that "for some peoples, the end of World War II meant the resumption of the tyranny imposed by the Stalinist Soviet Union." The EP resolution dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II became even more anti-Soviet. It actually equated Hitler's Germany and the Soviet Union.
According to the authors of the document, World War II allegedly began as a result of the signing of the Molotov—Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939 and its secret protocols, according to which "two totalitarian regimes, united by the goal of world conquest, divided Europe into two spheres of influence." The resolution called on the countries of the community to give "an unambiguous and principled assessment of the crimes and acts of aggression, which were backed by the totalitarian communist regime and the Nazi regime."
Then Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled that such an equation contradicts obvious historical facts, since it was Nazi Germany that attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, and the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. "You can anathematize Stalinism and totalitarianism in general, and in some ways it will be well-deserved reproaches, of course <...>. But equating the Soviet Union or putting the Soviet Union and fascist Germany on the same level is the height of cynicism," the Russian leader said on December 19, 2019.
Commenting on the Molotov—Ribbentrop Pact, Vladimir Putin recalled that this agreement was the latest in a series of non-aggression documents that were adopted on the eve of World War II. In his opinion, the Soviet leadership had no other choice in this situation. At the same time, Stalin was the only one who did not taint himself with direct contacts with Hitler, while the leaders of France and Great Britain met with the Fuhrer.
Modern European historiography stands on the position of belittling the role of the USSR during the Second World War, confirms Vladimir Simindey.
— This is an attempt to impose on the USSR the role of an accomplice in unleashing the war, emphasizing the role of the United States and Great Britain, as well as exaggerating the role of France. In a number of countries, there are attempts to justify Nazism. The assertion that communism was the main enemy and the enemy was in the east helps to justify the facts of collaboration in a number of Central and Eastern European countries," the expert pointed out.
According to the historian, even in Germany itself, attempts to justify the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR are increasingly tolerated by the fact that it was predetermined by the historical confrontation between the West and the East.
By the way, in early April, the Berliner Zeitung wrote that the German Foreign Ministry recommended not inviting official representatives of Russia and Belarus to commemorative events in honor of the anniversary of the end of the war in Germany. The article also said that if Russian and Belarusian representatives come by themselves, they may be expelled. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that if the facts of the expulsion take place, it would be nothing but a "revival of Nazism." On April 16, it became known that the ambassadors of the Russian Federation and Belarus were not invited to the event, which will be held on May 8 in the German Bundestag.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
