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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2019-08-31 19:13:45

Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson on the European Commission statement


Statement by the European Commission of the "Europe-wide day of remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes"

We have noted the statement made on behalf of the European Commission by its First Vice President Frans Timmermans and European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova in connection with the so-called “Europe-wide day of remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.”

We note with regret that this document is an example of the short-sighted policy of falsifying and rewriting European history, which was adopted by the Brussels-based EU structures. The idea that the non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany, signed on August 23, 1939, “opened a dark chapter in European history” has again become a key element of this document.  As in previous years, the document does not say a word about the aggressive and misanthropic plans of the Nazi regime, the importance of the victory over German Nazism in World War II and the Soviet Union’s role in it.

By releasing this document the European Commission has again made it clear that the EU is not going to give up the misguided practice of making historical suppositions and equating the USSR, which liberated Europe from Nazism, to Nazi Germany. Nobody wants to remember the Munich collusion and what happened in Europe in the late 1930s. So we will do this. We like reminding everyone of everything, explaining everything and citing specific facts.

The “dark chapter in European history” began not on August 23, 1939 but much earlier – when the Western capitals chose to appease Hitler’s regime and rechannel its aggressive aspirations to the East. The 1938 Munich collusion was the culmination of this policy. The European Union, which is trying to do everything to prevent the future generations from finding out the truth about this chapter of their own history, has made regular attempts to obscure this fact, if not bury it altogether.

It is strange to make such a reminder. Our generation knew this but current experts on international affairs forget for some reason that the Munich collusion was aimed at appeasing Nazi Germany and redirecting it to the East. The partition of Czechoslovakia was a manifestation of its absolute inhumanity and utter futility.   

Incidentally, non-aggression declarations similar to the Soviet-German non-aggression pact were signed with Germany by Britain and France a year earlier and by Warsaw with Berlin as far back as 1934. However, these facts do not interest the European Commission. Nobody wants to recall them or remind anyone of them although this is strange since these countries are EU members and could be given due attention.  

The signing of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact was a forced step for the Soviet Union because the Western powers were reluctant to support its proposal to establish a collective security system. However, the EU officials prefer not to recall this.

We consider unacceptable the attempts to draw parallels between the USSR and Nazi Germany. The decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal draw the bottom line on this issue. They make it absolutely clear who was on the side of the good and who fought for the evil in World War II. We believe the recognition of all results of World War II that are fixed in the UN Charter and other international documents are an imperative for everyone, including the EU.

Attempts to rewrite history for the sake of opportunistic political interests may have dire consequences.  We see the results of the liberal treatment of historical facts in a number of European countries, where the propaganda of Nazi ideas and values is conducted in the open and where national radicals are raising their head. All this not only insults the memory of the millions of victims but also threatens the fundamental principles of democracy and human rights. We urge the EU not to repeat the mistakes of the past, not to ignore these dangerous trends and to give a consistent assessment of all of their manifestations.

It will be too late if Nazism and fascism return to Europe.


Source URL: https://russiaeu.ru/en/node/3506