Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbek diplomats led by Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Spirit of the Elbe memorial plaque in memory of the union of allied forces in the fight against fascism, Dunyo news agency reported.

According to the Embassy of Uzbekistan, the event was attended by heads of the embassies of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan in Washington, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Robinson, as well as representatives of the Joint Russian-American Commission on Prisoners of War Affairs and missing, American veterans, former Soviet soldiers and officers who fought on the fronts of World War II living in the United States, and journalists.

The ceremony was traditionally held at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, where the Spirit of the Elbe Memorial is located. This memorial was opened on 25 April 1995, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting of the Allied armies on the Elbe River (Germany) at the final stage of World War II. The bronze plaque is engraved with the text in English and Russian: "This memorial plaque is dedicated to the military cooperation of the Soviet, American and allied armed forces in the battle against tyranny during the Second World War and symbolizes the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe River on April 25, 1945".

Speaking at the event, Charge d’Affaires of Russia in the United States Sergei Koshelev noted the special significance of this date. “In those days, front-line soldiers vowed to preserve the world and protect future generations from the scourge of war,” he said. According to the diplomat, June 22 will mark 80 years since the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. “The heroism and courage of our peoples managed to slow down and then stop the Nazi expansion, which was of fundamental importance,” the deputy head of the diplomatic mission emphasized. “We always bow our heads to the courage of our comrades in arms and we will honor everyone who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the most terrible evil of the 20th century,” said Sergei Koshelev.

Participation in the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery is a tribute to the memory of our fathers and grandfathers, who, along with representatives of other peoples, showed true heroism during the Second World War. In those years, almost 2 million people went to the front from Uzbekistan (every third Uzbek), more than 538 thousand died, more than 158 thousand were missing. In addition, the people of Uzbekistan, showing the spirit of humanism inherent in our people, received about 1 million people, over 250 thousand of them were children.