President Emomali Rahmon will leave for Moscow in the early morning of June 24 to attend a military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, an official source within the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo and Presidential Adviser for Foreign Policy Azamsho Sharifi will accompany Emomali Rahmon on his trip to Moscow.
Tajik leader will attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited leaders of all CIS nations and some other countries to attend the Victory Day military parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
According to some sources, presidents of Belarus (Alexander Lukashenko), Kazakhstan (Qasym-Jomart Toqayev), Kyrgyzstan (Sooronbay Jeenbekov), Moldova (Igor Dodon), Tajikistan (Emomali Rahmon), and Uzbekistan (Shavkat Mirziyoyev) as well as leaders of Abkhazia (Aslan Bzhania), South Ossetia (Anatoly Bibilov), Croatia (Zoran Milanović), Serbia (Aleksandar Vučić) and Palestine (Mahmoud Abbas) will attend the Victory Day military parade that will take place in Moscow’s Red Square on June 24.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have reportedly canceled previously scheduled trips to Moscow because of the aggravation of the situation with COVID-19 in their countries.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow will also not go to Moscow. Turkmenistan will be represented by Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyev.
Meanwhile, a company of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has been in Moscow for training for the Victory Day military parade since June 9.
Recall, President Vladimir Putin has postponed the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year sees the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, and the annual military parade has not been postponed before.
The parade will take place instead on June 24 – the day when Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov led the 1945 parade.
In all, some 15,000 servicemen and more than 200 pieces of military equipment are expected to be on military parade in Moscow.
More than 270,000 residents of Tajikistan reportedly took part in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and more than 100,000 of them died in battle.
55 of residents of Tajikistan were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Besides, 15 other Tajikistan’s residents were Full Holders of the Order of Glory.
Victory Day marks the end of World War II in Europe, specifically the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, the United States and other principal Allied nations) on May 8, 1945.
In Russia and other countries of former Soviet Union, the day of Victory over Nazi Germany is celebrated on May 9, because when the German Instrument of Surrender actually entered into force (May 8, 1945 at 23:01 CET), it was already May 9 by Moscow time. Post-Soviet countries have continued the tradition.
