04:51Serbia and Russia held a joint celebration in Belgrade on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the capital's liberation from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Senator of the Federation Council and the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Duma Konstantin Kosachev visited an exhibition to honour the occasion before holding a joint press conference, where Vucic addressed the Russian delegation in Russian.
"Today is a special day. A day that is of great importance for Europe, Serbia and Russia. The eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the fascist invaders. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on this holiday," said Vucic.
"The liberation of Belgrade is a symbol of the strong union between Yugoslav and Soviet, Russian and Serbian military units, that united under the banner of the anti-fascist struggle," he continued.
"Serbia will never forget the brotherly hand that reached out in the moment of greatest suffering, nor will it ever change its attitude towards the evil that we fought against together," he explained, adding that the exhibition is 'testament to our policy of rejecting historical revisionism'.
"We were together then, when the soldiers of the Red Army together with the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia victoriously completed the brilliantly planned Belgrade offensive operation, and of course, we are together now," Kosachev responded.
The Senator quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said 'respecting the real heroes' is 'our common duty', which Kosachev said 'many countries in today's Europe are attempting to overlook'.
"It is clear why this is happening because many countries and nations in today's Europe, whether they like it or not, do not have their own heroic history of victory over the Nazis. But we have that history and we can rightly be proud of our heroic ancestors," he concluded.
A joint offensive by Yugoslav partisans and the Soviet Red Army liberated Belgrade on October 20, 1944, ending 1,287 days of Nazi occupation and paving the way for the creation of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) a year later.
The single-party socialist federation consisted of six republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. With its capital in Belgrade, the FPRY was led by former Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito and governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
It was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963 and lasted until 1992, when it broke up as a result of the Yugoslav wars.
'Brotherly hand that reached out in moment of greatest suffering' - Vucic as Serbia, Russia celebrate anniversary of Belgrade liberation
Serbia and Russia held a joint celebration in Belgrade on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the capital's liberation from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Senator of the Federation Council and the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Duma Konstantin Kosachev visited an exhibition to honour the occasion before holding a joint press conference, where Vucic addressed the Russian delegation in Russian.
"Today is a special day. A day that is of great importance for Europe, Serbia and Russia. The eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the fascist invaders. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on this holiday," said Vucic.
"The liberation of Belgrade is a symbol of the strong union between Yugoslav and Soviet, Russian and Serbian military units, that united under the banner of the anti-fascist struggle," he continued.
"Serbia will never forget the brotherly hand that reached out in the moment of greatest suffering, nor will it ever change its attitude towards the evil that we fought against together," he explained, adding that the exhibition is 'testament to our policy of rejecting historical revisionism'.
"We were together then, when the soldiers of the Red Army together with the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia victoriously completed the brilliantly planned Belgrade offensive operation, and of course, we are together now," Kosachev responded.
The Senator quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said 'respecting the real heroes' is 'our common duty', which Kosachev said 'many countries in today's Europe are attempting to overlook'.
"It is clear why this is happening because many countries and nations in today's Europe, whether they like it or not, do not have their own heroic history of victory over the Nazis. But we have that history and we can rightly be proud of our heroic ancestors," he concluded.
A joint offensive by Yugoslav partisans and the Soviet Red Army liberated Belgrade on October 20, 1944, ending 1,287 days of Nazi occupation and paving the way for the creation of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) a year later.
The single-party socialist federation consisted of six republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. With its capital in Belgrade, the FPRY was led by former Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito and governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
It was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963 and lasted until 1992, when it broke up as a result of the Yugoslav wars.
Serbia and Russia held a joint celebration in Belgrade on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the capital's liberation from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Senator of the Federation Council and the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Duma Konstantin Kosachev visited an exhibition to honour the occasion before holding a joint press conference, where Vucic addressed the Russian delegation in Russian.
"Today is a special day. A day that is of great importance for Europe, Serbia and Russia. The eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the fascist invaders. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on this holiday," said Vucic.
"The liberation of Belgrade is a symbol of the strong union between Yugoslav and Soviet, Russian and Serbian military units, that united under the banner of the anti-fascist struggle," he continued.
"Serbia will never forget the brotherly hand that reached out in the moment of greatest suffering, nor will it ever change its attitude towards the evil that we fought against together," he explained, adding that the exhibition is 'testament to our policy of rejecting historical revisionism'.
"We were together then, when the soldiers of the Red Army together with the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia victoriously completed the brilliantly planned Belgrade offensive operation, and of course, we are together now," Kosachev responded.
The Senator quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said 'respecting the real heroes' is 'our common duty', which Kosachev said 'many countries in today's Europe are attempting to overlook'.
"It is clear why this is happening because many countries and nations in today's Europe, whether they like it or not, do not have their own heroic history of victory over the Nazis. But we have that history and we can rightly be proud of our heroic ancestors," he concluded.
A joint offensive by Yugoslav partisans and the Soviet Red Army liberated Belgrade on October 20, 1944, ending 1,287 days of Nazi occupation and paving the way for the creation of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) a year later.
The single-party socialist federation consisted of six republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. With its capital in Belgrade, the FPRY was led by former Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito and governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
It was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963 and lasted until 1992, when it broke up as a result of the Yugoslav wars.