More than 140 planes and helicopters - twice the number that participated in last year's Victory-Day parade - took part in the rehearsal, according to Russia's TASS news agency, among which were Russia's latest tanks and missiles.
"The most advanced aircraft from long-range, transport, fighter, fighter-bomber and army aviation units flew over Moscow's Red Square at an altitude of 200 meters," TASS quoted the Russian Defense Ministry's Air Force spokesman, Colonel Igor Klimov, as saying on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Estonia kicked off its largest military drill on Monday, involving some 13,000 servicemen from NATO nations and their allies, including the US, the UK and Germany, Russia Today reported Monday.
Russian news agency Sputnik said NATO's military drills are a show of its military presence along Russia's western border amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said on Sunday that Russia's Victory Day parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9 is "a symbol of instability," TASS reported Sunday.
"Soon, on May 9, Red Square in Moscow will turn into an armored square. There will be those units that recently attacked neighboring Ukraine in front of us and the whole world, demonstrating their force," said Komorowski.
Andrey Denisov, Russian Ambassador to China, on Tuesday dismissed the comments as "pure political remarks and irrelevant to military security."
"Those politicians attempted to address their domestic matters like elections by voicing concerns on Russia's parade," he told the Global Times at the 12th Lanting Forum in Beijing on Tuesday.
The forum, a platform to discuss China's foreign policy held by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this year has the theme of "jointly uphold the outcome of WWII and usher in a brighter future of win-win cooperation."
At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Friday to Sunday and attend the parade.
China's 112-strong guard of honor will take part in the parade, and thousands of Chinese veterans have been invited to watch the ceremony.
The ceremonies in China and Russia as well as other activities jointly held by both countries aim to make us bear in mind historical lessons, and express objections to fascism and militarism as well as any attempt to revise history, China's Vice-Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping told the forum on Tuesday.
Putin will also attend China's military parade in September to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression as well as in the World Anti-Fascist War, China News Service reported on March 20.
Wang Haiyun, an expert at the China International Institute for Strategic Society, warned at the forum that "we have to remain vigilant against the revival of militarism in Japan that does not admit aggression and develops weapons."
"We see as absolutely unacceptable all cynical attempts to rewrite history and justify the Nazis and their lickspittles to accommodate some people's time-serving interests. Such attempts are both immoral and extremely dangerous as they push the world toward new conflicts, brutality and violence," Putin was quoted as saying by Sputnik on Tuesday.
China and Russia made "the greatest" contribution to the victory of WWII in Asia and Europe to contain the large military capacities of Japan and Germany respectively, Sheng Shiliang, senior research fellow with the Center for Global Challenges Studies under the Xinhua News Agency said at the forum.
Against the backdrop of closer Sino-Russian ties, Ambassador Denisov predicted Xi and Putin will meet on at least five occasions in 2015, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and BRICS summit to be held in Russia, while last year saw the two presidents meet five times.
During Xi's upcoming visit to Russia, both sides will discuss dozens of issues, covering economic and trade cooperation, mutual financial investment, and their respective roles in international institutions, Denisov told reporters on Tuesday.
"Despite the fact that the trade volume between China and Russia may drop this year due to Russia's economy, I expect more investment in massive projects," said Denisov, citing cooperation in oil, natural gas, coal as well as high-speed railways as examples.
Presidents of some 30 countries, including China, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, as well as the German chancellor, Angela Merkel have confirmed their presence at the 70th V-Day anniversary in Moscow, TASS reported Thursday.
However, US President Barack Obama and most European leaders are staying away.
By Chen Heying Source:Global Times
5-6/5/15
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27 foreign leaders to attend V-Day celebrations in Moscow — Kremlin...
ReplyDeleteA total of 27 foreign heads of state and government will come to Moscow to attend Victory Day celebrations, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday.
"In all, 27 heads of state and government," he said, referring to high-ranking foreign guests of the festive celebrations in the Russian capital.
According to Ushakov, the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow that will take place between May 8 and May 10 will be attended by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, China, South Africa, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Venezuela, Vietnam, Germany, Egypt, Cyprus, North Korea, FYR Macedonia, Mongolia, Palestine, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Zimbabwe. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will also be taking part in the celebrations.
http://tass.ru/en/russia/793241
6/5/15