The Polish ambassador to Sri Lanka, Prof. Adam Burakowski, said the article, entitled the “75th Anniversary of the Great Victory Day” and penned by Russia’s ambassador to that country, Yury Materiy, was based on a "falsification of history" and omitted "crucial facts" about World War II.
“On 23 August 1939 [the] Soviet Union allied itself with Nazi Germany through [the] Hitler-Stalin pact,” Burakowski said in a statement sent to the Daily FT newspaper.
Under this pact, "both totalitarian regimes agreed to invade" Central and Eastern Europe together, he added, as cited on the ft.lk website.
Burakowski also said that World War II “did not start when Nazi Germany invaded [the] Soviet Union in June 1941. It started on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. And a few weeks [later], on 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Poland.”
Burakowski, who is also Poland's envoy to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Afghanistan, said in his statement that the Soviet Union invaded the countries of Central and Eastern Europe together with Nazi Germany.
“For almost two years Moscow was a close ally of Berlin,” he said.
“Benefiting from this alliance the Soviet Union invaded Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
“The Soviet Union remained Nazi Germany’s ally and supported its further conquests in 1940-1941 in Europe – Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece.
“The Soviet Union was the ally of Nazi Germany during the Battle of Britain.
“In 1941, after almost two years of II World War, Nazi Germany suddenly attacked its ally, the Soviet Union.”
The end of World War II “did not mean liberation of the countries of Central Eastern Europe,” Burakowski also said in his statement.
He added that while the Soviets "stopped the genocide conducted by the German Nazis," they "imposed their own occupation and terror, which lasted more than 40 years.”
Millions of people suffered from Soviet oppression, Burakowski noted.
He added that “when the totalitarian Soviet Union finally collapsed,” countries in Central and Eastern Europe went on a path toward freedom and democracy.
“We are united in the European Union and we enjoy the peace and stability,” he said.
“We will never forget the horrors" inflicted by "the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union,” Burakowski concluded.
He quoted a recent joint statement by the foreign ministers of Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia as well as the US secretary of state, paying tribute to the victims of the war and all those who fought to defeat Nazi Germany.
That statement, issued by the top diplomats to mark 75 years since Victory in Europe Day, read:
“Marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2020, we pay tribute to the victims and to all soldiers who fought to defeat Nazi Germany and put an end to the Holocaust.
“While May 1945 brought the end of the Second World War in Europe, it did not bring freedom to all of Europe. The central and eastern part of the continent remained under the rule of communist regimes for almost 50 years. The Baltic States were illegally occupied and annexed and the iron grip over the other captive nations was enforced by the Soviet Union using overwhelming military force, repression, and ideological control.
“For many decades, numerous Europeans from the central and eastern part of the continent sacrificed their lives striving for freedom, as millions were deprived of their rights and fundamental freedoms, subjected to torture and forced displacement. Societies behind the Iron Curtain desperately sought a path to democracy and independence.
“The events of 1956, creation and activities of the Charter 77, the Solidarity movement, the Baltic Way, the Autumn of Nations of 1989, and the collapse of the Berlin Wall were important milestones which contributed decisively to the recreation of freedom and democracy in Europe.
“Today, we are working together toward a strong and free Europe, where human rights, democracy and the rule of law prevail. The future should be based on the facts of history and justice for the victims of totalitarian regimes. We are ready for dialogue with all those interested in pursuing these principles. Manipulating the historical events that led to the Second World War and to the division of Europe in the aftermath of the war constitutes a regrettable effort to falsify history.
“We would like to remind all members of the international community that lasting international security, stability and peace require genuine and continuous adherence to international law and norms, including the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
"By learning the cruel lessons of the Second World War, we call on the international community to join us in firmly rejecting the concept of spheres of influence and insisting on equality of all sovereign nations.”
(gs)
Source: ft.lk, gov.pl