When we speak about World War II and reveal only things that suit a particular side from ideological or propagandistic viewpoint, this is a big mistake. Such a method of presenting the reality represents truncated truth that misleads, Igor Boțan, the permanent expert of the project, stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.

The expert said that a number of events produce a whole picture of World War II. It is a mistake to present only what was suitable to the Soviet propaganda and is suitable now to the Russian propaganda and its supporters in the Republic of Moldova. “After Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland in 1939, the first two signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The so-called Victory March (military parade) was staged in Brest and representatives of the Soviet Army and of the Nazi Germany marched as victors that conquered Poland. That’s why “Victory Day” now sounds very interestingly in this context. We should not forget what followed. In March 1941, there was signed the Atlantic Charter between the UK and the United States by which the United States agreed to start the Lend-Lease owing to which the UK could resist the bombardments that began in August 1940. We cannot forget about November 13, 1940, when the UK was bombarded and the head of the Soviet Government negotiated the division of the world with Adolf Hitler in Berlin. Each of these moments form the whole picture of World War II,” stated Igor Boțan.

The expert noted that those who are interested in World War II should consult artistic literature to see what happened in reality. “Do we remember the hundreds of thousands of people who were simply eliminated? They were victims who were removed from the life of Soviet society. Or the 4 million prisoners? Stalin said that the Soviet Union had not prisoners, but traitors. How many of them ended up in Gulags later?  Don’t we remember at all these categories of people, the fact that a totalitarian regime in Central and Eastern Europe substituted another totalitarian regime that lasted for another 50 years there? What attitude should we have towards all these things?  World War II was started by consent by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, based on the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the secret protocol,” stated Igor Boțan.

“In the Republic of Moldova, we must present things in accordance with our view based on a complex phenomenon of the tragedy that was experienced by mankind after World War I up to World War II and must formulate appropriately the arguments so that we are convincing when we discuss with the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. We must be patient, convincing, resolute and devoted so as to correctly elucidate the historical events. This is the path that should be followed by the Republic of Moldova.”

The public debate entitled “Victory Day: between reconciliation, antagonization and destabilization” was the 11th installment of IPN’s project “Impact of the Past on Confidence and Peace Building Processes” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.