German Consul in Novosibirsk: «The leading role played by the Red Army in the victory over Nazism is undeniable»

On the eve of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory of the Soviet people in World War II, Dr. Peter Blomeyer gave an interview to Novosibirsk television, in which he spoke about the attitude of the German government and the people of his country to this date.

Answering questions about the attitude of the Germans to the history of World War II, Peter Blomeyer said that after the defeat of the Nazis, all Germans had to admit that it was Germany responsible for the huge sacrifices during the war. And although it was difficult to realize that all those war crimes in the occupied regions, concentration camps, against civilians, prisoners of war, dissidents and minorities were committed on behalf of the Germans, Germany and the Germans managed to unconditionally admit their guilt.

May 8th was declared a day off in Germany. Peter Blomeyer also said that in German cities residents are celebrating the end of the war, depending on when the fighting in those areas ended. A ceremony was planned on Republic Square in Berlin, but President Frank-Walter Steinmeier decided to cancel it because of the coronavirus epidemic. Nevertheless, the mourning ceremony was not without its success: the German president, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and other officials laid wreaths at the monument to the victims of World War II.

The end of the war has a complex meaning for Germany, noted the Consul General - for all Germans it means a serious moral and physical disaster, but also a symbol of liberation from Nazism. This day is especially important for young Germans, who by no means want to return to those terrible times.

Peter Blomeyer expressed his admiration for the Russian and German veterans who, decades later, during a meeting in the fields of former battles in Stalingrad, reached out to each other and were able to find a common language, to talk about peace, about how to prevent the recurrence of those events.

A difficult question is the contemporary reflection on the events of that historical period. Many participants of the Second World War - Romania, the Baltic States, the changing Ukraine - are not ready for peace, trying to take a new look at the seemingly finished Nuremberg Tribunal history and find in it a reason for hostility. The feat of the Red Army soldiers is presented not as liberation from Nazism, but as occupation. The Consul General expressed the wish that historians from European countries would evaluate the past objectively and express their willingness to contribute as much as possible to the writing and publication of historical books, on which scientists from Germany and Russia would work together. "We need more objectivity," said Peter Blomeyer, "and this objectivity can be achieved when historians from different countries work together, such joint writing of books can serve peace and understanding between our peoples.

At the end of the interview, the Consul General of Germany addressed the people of Siberia and the Far East. He stated that the Second World War, which is called the Great Patriotic War in Russia, was unleashed by the Nazist Germany and became one of the most terrifying in the history of mankind. That war was worth the sacrifice of every family, and Germany is well aware of its responsibility for it. For the Germans, the will for peace and friendship is a binding legacy that was left to them by the victims of those times, and the Germans are deeply grateful to the Russians for extending a hand of friendship over the countless graves of that war that made it possible for our peoples to reconnect.

After the interview, the Consul General, together with his deputy Catherine Ebeling, visited the Monument of Glory, where they laid flowers at the Eternal Flame in memory of the Soviet soldiers from Siberia who died in the fight against fascism.