CGTN Europe spoke with Andrey Kortunov, former Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council and a Valdai Discussion Club expert.
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00:00I think that it is important as a symbolic gesture, because indeed the anniversary of the victory in the Second World War remains by far the most significant public holiday in this country.
00:16So this sign by the Chinese leader, which demonstrates respect, compassion, understanding, has a lot of meaning for many Russians, but also we should keep in mind that President Xi was to Russia more than two years ago.
00:36Many things have changed since March of 2023, and definitely the two leaders have a lot to talk about.
00:44They have to compare notes on many developments in the world.
00:49Arguably the most important of these developments is the change of the political landscape in the United States, and both nations have to react to these changes.
00:58Yes, there is so much going on in the world at the moment, but why do you think it is important to remember the sacrifices made 80 years ago by countries like the Soviet Union and China?
01:13Well, I think that history does not always help us to predict the future, but it definitely helps us to understand the present.
01:23And that's why it is important to keep the record straight.
01:29For instance, right now in the West, they often argue that the Soviet Union was responsible for the beginning of the Second World War, which of course is not the case.
01:40And the Second World War was not a fight between democracies and democracies, like it is often presented in Europe and sometimes in the United States.
01:50Likewise, quite often, the vision of the Second World War is very Eurocentric.
01:58The sacrifices of Asian nations, and China in particular, are not always recognized.
02:04But China lost a lot of people, arguably more than any other nation in the world, and that has to be remembered.
02:12The President Xi is also called for unity in opposing what he calls unilateral bullying and power politics to ensure a better future for all of us.
02:23Do you think we have lessons from the past that we could be applying to solve some of today's problems?
02:30Well, I cannot say for sure, but I can say that I hope that we will have enough wisdom, enough strategic thinking, and enough vision
02:44to make sure that we will be in a position to pass through this juncture in world history without major sacrifices, without another major conflict like the one that ended 80 years ago.
03:03So I think it will be difficult indeed.
03:05Indeed, I completely agree with the statement of Chairman Xi that we see a lot of unilateralism, we see a lot of bullying, we see disregard of national interests of other countries and states, and this is not good.
03:24However, as a historian, I can tell you that humankind has passed not just one, but many very critical periods in its history, and it has always managed to survive.
03:40So I believe in common sense, and I believe in the natural instinct of self-preservation, if you wish.