More than 170,000 our soldiers and officers were decorated with various orders and medals. The 77^th, 223th, 402^nd and 416^th national rifle divisions made up of Azerbaijani recruits and volunteers demonstrated unparalleled heroism and valour in the battles and wrote their names in history in golden letters.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said that the Azerbaijani divisions had covered the glorious path of combat from the Caucasus to Berlin. They fought for Moscow, Leningrad, Brest, Kyiv, Stalingrad, Simpheropol, Odessa and hundreds of other towns and locations. Our compatriots were actively involved in the liberation of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and other countries, and displayed innumerable examples of heroism in the guerrilla movement.

According to the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, in its struggle against the Fascism our people showed heroism not only in the battlefields but also at the home front where they worked days and nights to meet the Army’s needs. The Azerbaijani industrial enterprises were making 130 kinds of arms and ammunition in that period.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova proceeded to touch upon the formidable role of the Azerbaijani crude oil in that historic Victory, saying that three quarters of the oil extracted in the Soviet Union as well as 85-90% of aviation petrol and high-quality motor oils came from Azerbaijan during the war years. The majority of the tanks and aircraft that played a decisive role in the Victory in the World War II worked on the fuel supplied by the oilers of Baku.

The Speaker said then that the care of and attention to the WWII veterans remained a priority area in the state policy that is carried into life under the guidance of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The numerous orders and decrees signed by the President to that end are a vivid confirmation of the heightening care of the war veterans and of the strengthening of their social protection. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova recalled the words of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev: ‘The veterans are the “golden fund” of our people.’

All the great victories that nations won thanks to their immense endeavours were, first and foremost, the results of the infinite faith in such a supreme value as justice is, and also of the efforts made to restore justice. Consequently, that faith becomes the main source of inspiration for the Great Victory.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis went on to say that Azerbaijan had been able to liberate her territories from the 30-year-long occupation, restore her territorial integrity and sovereignty, and revive those lands due to the Victory won in the 44 days’ Patriotic War of 2020. That was the embodiment of the unwavering faith of our people – of its past and current generations – in the prevalence of justice; that was also the people’s resolve to restore justice.

As the Speaker emphasised, the courage and valour that our peoples demonstrated in the years of the WWII should serve a true example of patriotism for the young generation. It is not only a memory of the past; rather, it is also a heritage for the coming generations. The important and extremely necessary initiatives and projects of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly serve the cause of preserving the shared memory of that historic victory and of handing it down the generations.

Having remarked that that Victory was a common one for all our peoples who demonstrated unimaginable courage and valour for the sake of peace, prosperity and a bright future, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said that the Victory was the outcome of the representatives of the various peoples having stood side by side to defend the just cause as well as of the unprecedented unity and solidarity of our nations.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis