The plenary session of the “Great Heritage – Common Future” International Forum commemorating the 85th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War was held in the regional cultural center in Brest.
The idea to bring together delegates from different countries all across the world to discuss protection of historical memory and the importance of foiling attempts to distort facts about WWII events that impacted the entire world was suggested by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarusian-Russian Union State.
Many foreign parliamentary delegates and representatives of expert and educational communities took part in the discussion. The forum’s program also included three themed discussion sections.
Prior to the plenary session, the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodinand heads of parliamentary delegations visited the “Bread – The Invisible Force of Victory” exhibit, which commemorated the special role of bread during the harsh years of the Great Patriotic War and the invisible fortitude of bread makers, who helped achieve Victory. Th exhibit displayed five types of wartime bread, as well as several modern baked products.
The session started with a national minute of silence. Exactly at noon, everyone in Brest paid homage to those who sacrificed their lives for the future and freedom of their Motherland. The heroism and bravery of Red Army soldiers, partisans and members of underground groups, a truly nation-wide resistance movement, made possible the long-awaited Victory Day. Today, the memory about the heroic deeds of Soviet soldiers and officers is kept alive by their descendants.
It is important that the brotherly ties of friendship and mutual support forged on the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War continue to help the Russians and Belarusians of today develop multifaceted cooperation, build the Union State together, and defend their legal interests on the world stage, noted Russian President Vladimir Putin in his welcoming speech to the forum’s participants read out by Vyacheslav Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
. “One critical component of our bilateral relations has traditionally been cooperation between our legislative bodies as part of the work done by the Belarusian-Russian Union’s Parliamentary Assembly”, the Russian Head of State stressed.
The State Duma Chairman from his part noted the importance of the discussion held today as part of the forum’s program. “We defend our history, the heroic feats of our grandfathers and great grandfathers. It is very right when children, grandchildren and great grandchildren honor their elders, thanks to whom we can live today and can have a future,” he said.
Volodin also thanked foreign delegates participating in the forum, “who traveled great distances, who came to this forum to protect from attacks those, to whom we owe everything.” Among them were delegates from countries who joined the Soviet Union’s fight against Japanese militarism, he added.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also sent his words of welcome to the participants. His speech was read out by Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus’s National Assembly Igor Sergeenko. “On the frontlines of the Great Patriotic War, people from all Soviet Republics fought side by side against Nazism,” the Belarusian Head of State noted. “They fought for life and freedom, for their country and for other European countries saved by virtue of bravery and heroism of the multiethnic Soviet people.”
According to Lukashenko, protecting historical truth from those trying to rewrite history should be the primary objective for all.
Igor Sergeenko from his part noted that Brest welcomes friends of Belarus, who share a “caring mindset to the heritage of the victorious generation and strive to use this heritage as foundation for building a common future for all countries and all nations.”
Their bravery is no match for those who surrendered to fascist within days
Brest Fortress and Pavlov’s House in Stalingrad held the line and fought fascists longer than most of Europe, Volodin noted in his speech. “And if we look at most European countries, how did they defend themselves, their people, their Motherlands? Some held out for only a couple hours before bowing to the fascists, others lasted several days,” he said.
Vyacheslav Volodin noted that we all should live up to the heroic feats of our fathers and forefathers. Nowadays, European countries wage campaigns against memorials and graves of Red Army soldiers and officers, many of whom gave their life for the freedom of those European countries, he said.
“More than 300 memorials were destroyed in 2022–2025. What does it tell us. That neo-Nazism rears its ugly head. European nations and people of other countries should be able to see it. Yet they remain silent. Our forum’s goal is to protect their memory. If we are robbed of it, if we forget the heroism of those who stood here in Brest, who won in Stalingrad, then we will have no history. And without history, there will not be any countries that we represent,” the Chairman added.
Memory that unites nations
“85 years ago, on a tranquil summer morning such as today, the fascist forces invaded the Soviet Union. The first who bravely took this treacherous blow, were the defenders of Brest Fortress. So began the Great Patriotic War — one of the most tragic and at the same time most heroic pages of our countries’ history. It is comforting to see our nations protect the memory of this war, especially with the help from parliamentarians,” said Chairman of the Mäjilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Qoşanov in his plenary session speech.
He reminded about the contribution of the Kazakh people, who fought on the frontlines, were part of the partisan movement, including in Belarus, and worked hard in factories to help the army, in defeating Nazism.
Qoşanov also stressed the importance of preserving our countries’ common history by all means possible. “It is the memory of our shared heroism that remains the strongest foundation for our friendship, mutual respect and cooperation between our nations,” the Mäjilis Chairman said.
“The forum taking a traditional form has great historic significance. It is an expression of our deepest respect for the bravery of our great ancestors and a foundation for patriotic upbringing of our youth,” said Chairman of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majilis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Nuriddin Ismoilov.
According to Ismoilov, the venue of the “Great Heritage – Common Future” International Forum “has become a new, in many ways unique, form of parliamentary diplomacy.” “Here we can talk, share experiences, come up with common approaches in relevant spheres including he global agenda,” he noted.
Brest Fortress is the birthplace of unyielding desire for victory, which united the peoples of the Soviet Union against our enemies, said First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz Republic Mederbek Aliyev. According to Aliyev, Brest’s holy land has become “a symbol of bravery, perseverance and unconditional loyalty to the Motherland.”
“Heroic deeds of the Brest Fortress defenders will forever be a symbol of heroism, perseverance and fortitude. Their bravery has served as a moral compass for many generations. Standing here today, we recognize once again the great cost of the Victory and the responsibility of the current generation to preserve its historical memory,” said Mederbek Aliyev.
Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Khin Yi warned the plenary session participants of possible reemergence of the neo-Nazi ideology and various manifestations of extremism and racism, stressing that his country strongly condemns such developments.
“We must collectively protect historical truth and thwart any attempts to revive the neo-Nazi ideology,” Khin Yi said. According to Yi, the historical events discussed at the forum continue to serve as an important lesson in the context of “the modern-day global agenda and common challenges the international community must face.”
“Victory over Nazism in WWII is an example of the extraordinary power hidden in unity, resolve and shared moral principles of the Soviet people. It was unleashed not through military power alone, but also through people’s unwavering belief into justice, human dignity and protection of cultural and national identity,” the Chairman of the Myanmar Pyithu Hluttaw noted.
“Protecting the memory of the Great Patriotic War is our shared responsibility to future generations,” said Chairman of the Committee of the Assembly of Representatives of the Supreme Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan on Energy, Industry, Construction and Communications Muhammadullo Umar Sheralizoda, adding that a tragedy of such scale shall never happen again.
“Nowadays, when the international community must face new challenges and threats, solidarity and respect have much deeper meaning. These principles become cornerstones of world order,” he noted.
“The defeat of fascism not only marked the outcome of the war, but also preordained further development of international relations, having turned a new leaf in world history,” said Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ziyafat Asgarov, noting that Azerbaijani soldiers were also among those in the Brest Fortress garrison who defended Brest in June 1941.
“In Azerbaijan, the memory of WWII has a special place and is passed down from generation to generation. Preserving historical memory, showing respect for the veterans’ heroism and taking great care of them continue to play an important part in our country’s policies,” Asgarov said.
“We must value peace and work together to build a better future for all of us. Celebrating Victory Day together, preserving historical materials, showing the young generation historical truth – all this is important to strengthen friendship, cooperation and mutual respect. Given our own experience of building and defending our nation, the people of Vietnam deeply understands the value of independence, freedom, peace and friendship between nations,” said Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyễn Ngọc Hà.
The speech made by deputy of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Tania Valentina Díaz González was especially emotional. “Thank you, brothers and sisters. Your pain, the suffering of millions of families gave birth to hope for a better future. Thanks to you, we can live now,” she said from the forum’s stage.
Today, like never before, it is important to “preserve the flame of Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” said the Venezuelan deputy, adding, “We must preserve its heritage and that deeply anti-fascist, anti-neocolonial spirit”. “Western nations, who had a secondary role in WWII, are now attempting to falsify history,” she reminded. “But Russia is fighting once again for world peace,” Tania Valentina Díaz González said.
All countries participating in this forum today must stand heroically shoulder to shoulder against all forms of racism, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, chauvinism and other similar ideologies, noted Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Servia on Foreign Affairs Dragan Marković.
Today, “some countries continue to praise and use symbols of WWII losers even to this day” and “sadly often speak of revisionism and changing history to paint losers as winners even 85 years after the start of the war,” he pointed out. As such, he called for better educational measures to show young and future generations true outcomes of WWII.
Other delegates from the Republic of Cuba, China and Laos also took part in the plenary session.
At the end of the session, Vyacheslav Volodin had informal discussions with heads of delegations participating in the forum.
Last year, the “Great Heritage – Common Future” International Forum took place in the hero-city of Volgograd, Russian Federation. The event was held in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
