Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the United Nations made a statement in view of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Speaking about the most tragic war in the history of mankind ,which claimed millions of lives, Yashar Aliyev noted that the UN meeting dedicated to the 70-year anniversary of the end of the war gives a chance to immortalize those who fought for the restoration of peace, freedom and human dignity, and to honor the memory of the millions of victims of WWII across all continents.

Aliyev underlined the people of Azerbaijan's great role in WW II victory who, even in the midst of a grand scale military operation on their doorstep managed to pass through the most severe tests and succeeded in making a powerful contribution to the war effort.

"Our republic mobilized more than 600,000 comrades for this war against fascism, and half of them gave their lives for the sake of victory. In a short period of time Azerbaijan arranged for the production of ammunition and arms, and made it possible for the war efforts to press on," he said.

"Many Azerbaijanis also battled in the Resistance Movement in France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Yugoslavia. The victory was reached not only in the battlefield, but also in the rear areas," Aliyev added.

Drawing attention to Baku's indispensable heroic role during WW II, Aliyev said the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku was one of the main producers and suppliers of oil - supplying 80 percent of the entire oil production extracted in the whole USSR. "The heroism of the Azerbaijanis working day and night in the oil industry was a true example of our people's valor," he noted.

The Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany saw about 90 percent of oil products and 96 percent of all fuels and lubricants produced in Baku. Four of each five Soviet planes, tanks and trucks used during WW II used fuel made at Baku oil refineries and oil extracted from Baku.

Speaking about Azerbaijan's important role in achieving victory over fascism, Aliyev referred to Soviet Marshal, Fedor Tolbukhin notes dating back April 28, 1945 where he said "The Red Army owes a debt of gratitude to the Azerbaijani people and Baku brave oil industry workers for their many victories, for their timely delivery of qualitative fuel. Fighters of our front near Stalingrad, on Don and in Donbass, on the coast of Dnieper and Dniester, in Belgrade, near Budapest and Vienna all remember with gratitude the Azerbaijani oil industry workers and welcome Baku brave oilmen".

This victory over fascism was made possible through an enormous sacrifice of resources and manpower. Nearly 27 million people were from Soviet nations - out of 57 million that were killed during the deadliest ever war in mankind's history. Azerbaijan lost over 300,000 of its boys and girls to help defeat the Nazi regime.

"The lessons of World War II are important for the preservation of order in the modern world and the future of international relations. The desire to keep and protect mankind from the disasters of war has inspired world powers to create mechanisms for the maintenance of international peace and security - the United Nations", Aliyev noted.

The diplomat, finally, reminded his audience that in the resolution the "70-year anniversary of World War II", the UN General Assembly urges member states to combine their efforts in finding solutions to problems threatening international peace and safety.

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