The Committee on Religious Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Dear compatriots, respected veterans!

On the occasion of today's glorious holiday - May 9 - the Day of Remembrance and Appreciation and the 79th anniversary of the great victory in the Second World War, I sincerely congratulate our honorable veterans, our entire multinational nation, and express my deep respect and best wishes to all of you.

On this auspicious day, we pay great respect to the memory of our heroic ancestors who showed courage in the most terrible war in the history of mankind and saved humanity from the scourge of fascism, as well as our brave and noble compatriots who worked valiantly behind the front and made a worthy contribution to ensuring victory.

We express our infinite gratitude to the dear war and labor veterans who returned alive from the battlefields, served selflessly for the development of our country, and are today angels of grace in our lives with their good prayers.

At the same time, we remember with gratitude the memory of our brave soldiers who died during the years of independence, protecting the freedom of our country, the peace and tranquility of our people, and fulfilling their duty.

Dear friends!

It is natural for us to remember once again what unprecedented losses and misfortunes this terrible war brought to our country in the events held today in all our cities and villages. The fact that more than 1,950,000 Uzbek fighters mobilized to the front in those difficult years, more than 538,000 were killed, more than 158,000 were missing, more than 870,000 received various injuries, and more than 60,000 returned disabled, clearly shows how much this victory cost us. . Even though so much time has passed, we still cannot forget the permanent wound that this devastating war left in the hearts of our people.

The fact that 214,000 of our soldiers and officers were awarded combat orders and medals during the war, 301 of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 70 of them were awarded the three-level "Slava" ("Fame") order for us, without a doubt, are the brightest pages of the great victory. .

Our strong-willed people worked hard behind the front during those dangerous years. The activity of industrial enterprises was directed to the needs of the front. More than 170 plants and factories were moved to our country from the regions that were caught in the flames of war, and their activities were restored in a short period of time. Our country supplied a huge amount of military equipment, weapons, medicines, clothes, food and other necessary products for the front.

In 1941-1943, the people of Uzbekistan voluntarily gave more than 475 million rubles and 22 million rubles worth of personal belongings to the defense fund, which was another important contribution to bringing the victory closer.

Our nation showed high human virtue and gave shelter to about 1 million 500 thousand people who were evacuated from the war zones. Showing kindness to 250,000 orphans who were separated from their parents, he shared his last bread with them.

Dear compatriots!

In a short time, the magnificent "Victory Garden" memorial complex, built as a symbol of the courage of our people in Tashkent, our capital city, has become a welcome place.

The fact that more than 2 million 200 thousand pilgrims have visited this place and watched it with great interest and attention also confirms this opinion. About fifty books-albums and monographs, collections of rare documents were created by the team of the complex, and hundreds of historical facts unknown until now were revealed and brought to the public.

Within the framework of the "I'm looking for my grandfather" project, a list of about 2 million compatriots who participated in the war was created. Based on more than 300 appeals received from our compatriots, important information about the fate of 200 soldiers missing in the war was collected.

Dear friends!

In connection with today's holiday, commemorative ceremonies, various cultural and educational events, "meetings of three generations" are being held in our dear Uzbekistan. With the participation of relevant ministries, departments and organizations, heads of military units, ceremonies dedicated to congratulating and handing over gifts to war and labor veterans, military personnel who died in the line of duty during the years of independence, and law enforcement officers are being held in a solemn atmosphere.

Respected war veterans have been in the constant attention and respect of our people. In particular, the homes of war and labor veterans who live alone, military personnel who died defending our independence are being repaired and improved. Each of the participants of the Second World War and the disabled are provided with patronage service and necessary medical treatment. They are being treated in sanatoriums according to their wishes.

There is no doubt that we are always indebted to such great people who fought for free and free life today, and we will create all conditions for them from now on.

In today's extremely complicated and dangerous times, the bravery and glorious traditions of our heroic veterans will always serve as a school of example for us in carrying out the extremely important tasks of educating our youth in the spirit of patriotism, protecting our children from various harmful influences, preserving peace and stability, friendship and harmony between nations and religions, which are our priceless wealth. . We take spirit and strength from them and honorably fulfill our high duty of being defenders of the Motherland, guardians of peace, creators of New Uzbekistan.

Dear and respected compatriots!

I congratulate you, dear ones, once again from the bottom of my heart on today's great day. I wish you all good health, happiness and luck, and blessings to your homes.

May our country be peaceful, our people always be safe!

Shavkat Mirziyoev,

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan