8 April 2019
April 8th, a meeting of the International Commission for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Eastern Europe was organized at the House of the Russian Historical Society. The meeting marked the beginning of a two-day conference on the Red Army’s operations in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe during World War II. The event was attended by the Chairman of the International Commission and Co-chairman of the Russian Historical Society, Aleksandr Chubaryan.
Sergey Naryshkin, the Chairman of the Russian Historical Society, greeted the guests and shared his thoughts on the mission of the Red Army during the Second World War. He noted that the path to the liberation of Eastern Europe was a difficult one and reminded the audience about the hard-won victories, among which the Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, Leningrad. The speaker emphasized the significance of the human losses during the fascist blockade and other battles, the million soldiers of the Red Army who sacrificed their lives in order to restore peace in eleven European countries and the economic help provided to many states by the USSR.
The Co-chairman of the Russian Historical Society, MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov underlined the importance of historians’ work, which should be aimed at strengthening mutual understanding between different nations. He noted that historical discussions always spill over into the current political reality and that historians can help to foster good relations and overcome discord. Anatoly Torkunov also remarked that historical studies gain in relevance when they are multifaceted and based on several interconnected discourses.
After the meeting, the participants decided to hold in 2020 an international conference dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the WWII. The International Commission of the Russian Historical Society was created in 2016 and has for goal to promote objective approaches to historical facts.
— See the MGIMO web-site for russian version
