Lavrov to EuroFora ao Journalists on Archives,Sikorski,Holodomor,2WW Victory on Nazi: No Revisionism

    Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to Journalists including "EuroFora" at the CoE in Strasbourg, accepted that Archives on 2nd World War events should be opened, and pleaded for Cooperation between Historians, but warned against Revisionist attempts to "re-write" or even "distord" Europe's History, or "depreciate" the Victory obtained against Nazism, while also pointing to the fact that some Western States still keep certain Archives secret, as, f.ex. the UK on the controversial circumstances of the tragic death of former Polish Prime Minister Sikorski at an Air crash at Gibraltar.

    Topically, Lavrov made these Statements  just a few days before the 65th Anniversary of the Victory against Nazism, which will be celebrated by many Heads of State/Government in Moscow, the same Days of the 60th Anniversary of Shuman's Declaration for the creation of the EU (May 9), only a few minutes after he launched a fresh call in Strasbourg to boost a new "Partnership for Modernization between the EU and Russia", (See another, relevant "EuroFora" NewStory, on the main thrust of those, differend Lavrov's statements).

    Moreover, one day earlier,  a strong Majority in CoE's  Parliamentary Assembly voted to adopt many Amendments largely rectifying a controversial Report on the devastating "Great Famine" of the 1930ies in the former USSR, which had been initially drafted by Turkish MP Mevlut Cavusoglu, PACE's Chair for 2010-2011, but was denounced as grossly inaccurate and negative vis a vis Russia, falsely attempting to oppose f.ex. Ukranians to Russians, etc, while, in fact, victims of such catastrophes attributed to a former Stalinist regime were widespread throughout many former Soviet Union Countries, including Russia itself, Kazakstan, etc, as the Ukranian President Yanukovych has stressed in Strasbourg before the vote (See previous "EuroFora"'s NewsReport).

Meanwhile, this same Week, while celebrating also the 95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turks back in 1915, the spokesman of Strasbourg's Armenian Community launched a fresh call for the adoption of Laws with sanctions against "Negationism", as it has already been done about the 2WW's Jewish Holocaust and Shoa. The move came after a New 2010 Documentary Film "Aghet" reveals German, Swiss, Danish a.o. Archives on the Armenian Genocide and denounces the fact that Turkey persists even to provocatively promote today the Memory of former "Young Turks" Officials responsible for Horrible Crimes during the Genocide as Emver Pasa or Talat Pasa, still giving them Public Monuments, names of Streets, Squares, etc. f.ex. in Istanbul ! ( http://www.armeniangenocide-aghet.com ).

Turkey notoriously was not among the Allies who fought and won the 2nd World War against Nazism, since Ankara remained "Neutral", and didn't participate to the hard Sacrifices made by European Countries (including even German dissidents), as reminds also a list at the Struthof NAZI Concentration Camp near Strasbourg, which had the particularity to collect Prisoners from all over Europe and beyond : From Norway to Greece, and from Russia to Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, UK, etc. and even Canada, with only a few rare exceptions among  CoE's States, as Turkey who is absent.
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- CoE's SG Jagland : Present for the May 9 Moscow Summit on the 2WW Victory against Nazism/Fascism
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    - "It is ...vey important for all of us to demonstrate that there can be No Distortion, or No Revising of what happened during the (2nd World) War, and how Nazism and Fascism was defeated in Europe", stressed CoE's new Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, former Prime Minister of Norway, from which originated Hundrers of former Prisoners at the Struthof NAZI Concentation Camp (See Jagland's replies to relevant "EuroFora"'s questions as early as since October 1st, 2009).

    Jagland also reminded the fact that "of course, Russian troops, Russian Soldiers were indispensable in defeating the Nazi regime". CoE's Secretary General also anounced, after meeting with Lavrov, that he was "honoured to be invited to the 65th Anniversary of the Victory on the 2nd Word War" and is "going to Moscow on the 9th of May, to take part in that very important event".

    Lavrov replied that Russia is "Thankful to the (CoE's)  SG for accepting our invitation to be in Moscow for the Victory Day on May 9th", and confirmed that "we strongly support his position regarding Unacceptability of any attempts to Distord History".  
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    - Archives should, in principle, be opened and declassified, stressed Lavrov, speaking later in Strasbourg to Journalists, including "EuroFora".

    - In former  Soviet Union Countries, Archives are, indeed, to be opened and declassified, particularly about the 2nd World War.

    - But sometimes, this is not possible, because some of them are still in Other Foreign Countries :

    - F.ex., the UK holds Archives on the circumstances of the tragic death of former Polish Prime Minister, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, back on 1943 in Gibraltar.  But, curiously, the UK Authorities decided to extend the period during which they are kept classified for 50 more Years longer, (so that they wouldn't be opened but only after 2050), he observed.

     Moreover, not all Documents of the 1930ies, particularly regarding Negotiations between Leaders of Western Powers before the 2WW, were opened : Some of them  are still kept Secret, he added.     

    - In general, we are in favour of Cooperation between Historians from various Countries for serious collective studies, the Russian Foreign Minister said.

    - But nobody should give in to revisionist attempts to "re-write the History of Europe", he stressed.

    - This week, CoE's Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, gave clear assurances that the CoE will not become a place for Re-writing or even Distording the Historic Truth on the 2nd World War, i.e. its causes, its results, etc.

    And we are against those who try to "depreciate" the results of the Great Victory in the 2nd World War, which was obtained by common efforts and hard sacrifices, Lavrov concluded.
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    Earlier, Turkish Chair of PACE for 2010-2011, Cavusoglu, declared that he raised with Lavrov the "Georgia issue" and the "Ukranian issue", as he said.

  - "Individual, specific Cases, mentioned by President Cavusoglou and others,  can be more effectively resolved if we also don't lose sight of the Systemic Task to make sure that the leading Role of the CoE in providing Unified Legal Space for Humanitarian and Human Rights issues, is strengthened", replied Russia's Foreign Minister, reminding that CoE's main mission, as determined since the 2005 Warsaw Heads of State/Government SUmmit, is not Political, but Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law.

 - "This (CoE's)  Law must Not beDiverted, and .. ALL of us ..should abide by the CoE Rules", added Lavrov in his reply to Cavusoglu, obviously denouncing any Double Standards, but ...diplomatically avoiding  to explicitly mention to the former Head of the Turkish Delegation also the well known -and much older- still unresolved "Issues" of Cyprus (Turkish Military Occupation at the North), Kurds, Armenian Genocide, Aegean Sea, Turkish Army Interventions at Northern Iraq, (for which, Victims' Complaints from Victims whose Home was destroyed and/or Family members killed, have started to arrive at the ECHR, as EuroCourt's Officials revealed this same week to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora"), etc.

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    - "After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union, a New Era seemed to have come that laid the ground for de-ideologized relations between the countries and peoples", and "a real opportunity emerged (for a) true European unity", reminded earlier in his speech to CoE's Assembly the Russian Foreign Minister.

     - But, "apparently, the "Berlin Walls" of Consciousness turned out to be rather strong. False ideas, instincts and Bigotry of the Past were brought into the new reality and have led to what Fyodor Dostoyevsky called "self-annulment of one's true expectations"", Lavrov denounced.
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    Meanwhile, replying earlier to a Question on his "Vision on History Teaching", raised by Irish MEP Ms Keaveney, Lavrov agreed that, "for Historians, to cooperate with each other in order to shed more Light on the Past, whenever there are still various points of view and interpretations, it's something extremely important".

    - Even if "we cannot re-write the Nuremberg's Judgements (against NAZI Crimes against Humanity), nor the various UN Resolutions, or the documents adopted by the OSCE and by the CoE : We can't re-write History", as he warned.

    - "But we already have such Groups of Historians between Russia and Germany, as well as Russia and Poland, and we'd like to have also the same with Baltic States, and with other States which might be interested", Lavrov anounced.

     - "Just recently, we had a 1st Conference of Ministers of Education from CIS' Countries (former USSR), who agreed to prepare a Joint Project and seek a common View on the History, in order for Young People to have access to common Historic material Facts."

    - "At CoE's level, it would also be an excellent idea to launch such projects, if we want to forge a United Continent, and not a continent which is divided by Nationalistic reactions during Centuries", Lavrov proposed.

    (See also other, more extensive, Lavrov's Statements at the CoE in Strasbourg,  inside a differend "EuroFora"'s NewStory).