10 May 2021. The IPA Russian Section hosted a gala reception of diplomats, military and police attachés dedicated to the 76th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The meeting was solemn but at the same time very warm and friendly.
The guests were met by Yury Zhdanov, President of the International Police Association Russian Section, Lieutenant General. He also highlighted the main theme of the meeting: we must do everything to prevent the horrors of war from being repeated ever again. Keeping the peace would be the best tribute to the memory of warriors.
The meeting was attended by representatives of ten countries. Guests arrived from Poland, Germany, France, Norway, Finland, Armenia, Serbia, Italy, Syria and Israel.
Most of them were people in uniform who had devoted their lives to protecting their states and fighting crime. All of them came to Russia with the main goal – to coordinate their common effort to prevent military conflicts and to counter international and transnational crime. And, of course, to honour the memory of those who had fallen in that terrible war. Almost everyone present had someone close to them who had fought against the Hitlerites at the front, in a partisan detachment, participated in the anti-fascist resistance movement. In fact, it was a meeting of like-minded people.
The event was attended by former Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and Secretary of Security Council of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia Vladimir Rushailo. He stressed the importance of such meetings.
Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi noted that unlike most European countries, Israel celebrated Victory Day on 9 May, not 8 May. And this date was fixed by law. There were a lot of veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Many thousands of ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches were held there.
Representative of the Armenian Police, Colonel Edgar Arevshatyan, Defence Attaché of Serbia, Colonel Budimir Gajic and Military Attaché of Syria Adnan Kara Ibrahim, whose fellow citizens had recently experienced the horrors of new wars, called for everything to be handled in a way that shots and explosions were not heard anywhere else.
Grigory Rapota, former Deputy Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR RF), State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, admitted that he perceived the phrase ‘if necessary, we can repeat’ very painfully. Yes, he understands the need to protect the Motherland but he does not want this need to be repeated, so to speak, along with death, destruction and suffering.
Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of SberBank of Russia Stanislav Kuznetsov presented the photo project of the Memory of Generations (Pamyat Pokoleniy) Charitable Foundation: ‘Heroes of Russia as Seen by No One.’ On the project spoke Chairman of the Foundation Ekaterina Kruglova. The need to support veterans of any wars and armed conflicts was also stressed by the speakers.