DUSHANBE, May 10, 2011, Asia-Plus — President Emomali Rahmon attended a ceremonial event dedicated to the 66th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 that took place at the Eternal Flame Memorial in Dushanbe’s Victory Park on May 9.
As usual, the event involved war veterans, senior representatives from the Tajik government and diplomatic missions and international organizations active in the country.
Tajik leader laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame Memorial and those present observed the minute of silence for those who died in that war.
Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), says that after the ceremony of laying wreaths at the memorial servicemen of the MoD airborne company demonstrated hand-to-hand combat techniques in the presence of Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev and then 200 recruits of the airborne company took the oath.
Besides, soldiers of the Defense Ministry Company of Guards of Honor were on the parade on the occasion of the Victory Day, the spokesman added.
More than 330 residents of Tajikistan reportedly participated in the in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and 100,000 of them died in that war.
According to the Council of War Veterans of Tajikistan, 975 veterans of World War II now live in Tajikistan, 38 of them are women.
Victory Day marks the end of World War II in Europe, specifically the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, the United States and other principal Allied nations) on May 8, 1945.
In Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of former Soviet Union, the day of Victory over Nazi Germany was 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.
