Viacheslav Volodin: we need to stop disturbing the graves of the deceased in the Great Patriotic War

Double standards are unacceptable in CoE

“It would be right to work on our common mistakes, so that not to make them again and the Council of Europe could continue to be a common European home where we could discuss issues on the principles of equality, non-interference in the sovereign affairs of states, the absence of double standards,” said Viacheslav Volodin.

At the same time, the Chairman of the State Duma noted “it is not always possible” to build a dialogue on the principles of consensus in the Council of Europe: “It is impossible because, on the one hand, we are talking about equality, and on the other, there are double standards. It is unacceptable. Using this rostrum, I would like not only to mention it, but also to urge everyone to move away from these approaches. They are destroying our common European home.”

“When we talk about double standards, we must understand that these requirements are imposed on some [countries], but not on others. When we talk about the sovereignty of our countries, it often turns out that this sovereignty does not include such concepts as traditions, culture, history, but this must be taken into account. Every country has it. And if we mindlessly use one pattern for all countries, it will not lead to anything but conflicts and tension,” said the Chairman of the State Duma, adding that at the same time “universal human values should be protected.”

“We represent 47 countries with a different history, culture, structure, and of course, it would be right for us, after 70 years, to follow this path,” he continued.

Viacheslav Volodin also urged his European colleagues to work on the adoption of model laws on such issues as countering terrorism, creating single lists of terrorist organizations. “Only together can we resist this evil,” he emphasized.

Honor of those who defeat fascism

In his speech, the Chairman of the State Duma paid special attention to preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War and those who defeated fascism, emphasizing that this is exactly what should unite the countries of Europe.

“We suffered huge losses — all our countries, all our citizens,” said Viacheslav Volodin and reminded that the USSR lost in the Great Patriotic War more than any other country — 27 million citizens. — Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers laid down their heads to save the world from Nazism, from the ‘brown plague’.

“In their memory we must make a decision, in any case, I ask you about this, and we can do it — we need to stop disturbing the graves of the deceased, who died for us, so that we can discuss future issues, for our children, so that we have the opportunity to live. What we see is unacceptable,” Viacheslav Volodin stated, emphasizing that this decision should unite European countries.

He reminded that next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory, and invite European colleagues to take part in its celebration.

“In our country, the war affected every family, and when we talk about it, it hurts us all. I think that it also hurts those who represent those republics that were in a single state, because many nationalities — Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Georgians, Moldavians fought against fascism,” he said.

“For us, Victory Day is a holiday with tears in our eyes. Next year we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Victory. I hope all of you take part in this holiday. However it would be right if we all consider this holiday not as a victory, but as a tribute to those who remained buried in different countries of Europe, protecting the world from fascism, giving us the opportunity to sit in this hall today,” concluded the Chairman of the State Duma.