Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on Wednesday the fact that commemorative events in Poland dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II were held without inviting Russia "the clearest example of rewriting history."
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2019) Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on Wednesday the fact that commemorative events in Poland dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II were held without inviting Russia "the clearest example of rewriting history."Poland hosted the events on Sunday. A Russian delegation was not invited, but Poland's current allies in NATO and the European Union, including Germany, as well as Eastern Partnership countries were. The Polish Foreign Ministry's secretary of state, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, said that Russia had not been asked to attend because Warsaw and its allies wanted to commemorate the tragic events "in the spirit of historical truth," alleging that Russia was not interested in this.
"Poland turned memorial events into an action completely subordinate to the 'unity of a free civilized democratic world' against some 'evil forces.' This is the clearest example of rewriting history. But this time everything has gone too far and turned into some kind of real global obscurantism," Zakharova said, commenting on the event.
She went on to say that it was shocking to see what these commemorative events, which have gathered people of various countries in Poland over the years, have turned into.
Russia calls on Western countries to avoid distorting historical facts and instead be guided by international law in their assessments, she said.
"It is in our common interests to de-politicize discussions on topics from our recent historical past and translate them into the mainstream of a professional dialogue among historians," the spokeswoman added.
She then listed the various ways in which Russia had contributed to post-war efforts. Specifically, she mentioned her country's role in decolonization, supporting regional security in Europe and helping rebuilt the economic infrastructure of countries destroyed by war. She explained that the West was not interested in remembering this because it "completely negates the myth of the very liberal world order and the benefits that it brought to humanity."
Despite all this, however, Zakharova said that it was important that these efforts not be forgotten and that Russia would work toward that end.
