Statement by Permanent Representative of Belarus A.Dapkiunas at OSCE Permanent Council meeting on behalf of delegations of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to OSCE on 81st Victory anniversary in World War II (7 May 2026, Vienna)

Eighty-one years ago a historic Victory over Nazism in World War II was achieved. 

The outstanding heroism of millions of people – who overcame an ideology of hostility, hatred, and inhumanity, and who fought selflessly, sacrificing their lives in the name of peace, freedom and well-being of future generations – will forever remain in our collective memory.

Any attempts to falsify and to distort the outcomes of World War II, to diminish the decisive role of the peoples of the Soviet Union, as well as the contributions of the members of the anti-Hitler coalition and the liberation movements of European countries in the defeat of Nazism, are unacceptable. The judgments of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which established the international legal assessment of the crimes of the Nazis and their accomplices, are not subject to revision.

Efforts to rehabilitate or glorify Nazism and its collaborators, as well as attempts to deny the war crimes and crimes against humanity they committed, must receive a proper legal response. We condemn the destruction or desecration of monuments and burial sites of liberating soldiers of any nationality, who gave their lives in the cause of Victory.

In this context, particular significance attaches to the resolution adopted 
on 15 December 2025 by the United Nations General Assembly entitled ‘Combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.’

It is our shared responsibility to prevent the recurrence of the tragedies of the past, to do everything possible to counter efforts aimed at the glorification and rehabilitation of Nazism and its accomplices, and to combat manifestations of neo-Nazism, aggressive nationalism, and all forms of discrimination. 

The memory of the Victory should serve to strengthen international security, cooperation, and mutual understanding.