Members of the WAC and representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora from St. Petersburg took part in the celebration of the Victory Day in the northern capital of Russia.
Said Bargandzhia
WAC members headed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Congress Mussa Ekzekov and other representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora of St. Petersburg took part in the festivities in the northern capital of the Russian Federation on Victory Day on May 9.
“We laid wreaths to our elder brothers and sisters who laid down their lives so that we would live in a bright and clear world. We must remember them, be proud of them and “check our way through them” in order to go straight. God grant we will only hear birds singing over our heads,” commented Mussa Ekzekov to the WAC web information portal during a memorial ceremony at the Piskarevsky memorial cemetery.
It should be recalled that in the Piskarevsky cemetery of St. Petersburg in the 2000s, there were two memorials associated with the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora: in May 2004, a plate was opened in memory of the natives of Abkhazia - defenders of besieged Leningrad, and in September 2018 - the same plate in honor of the natives of the KChR. Flowers and wreaths were solemnly laid to these memorials on May 9.
Talking to members of the WAC youth movement in St. Petersburg, who also took part in the ceremony, Ekzekov added that they need to “work tirelessly, learn, gain knowledge and wisdom” in order to grow into worthy sons of their people.
“The history of the people of Abaza is such that all the empires that existed in the world wanted to conquer us. But we live to this day, speak our own language. All because we have strong traditions. Our genes are built to be solid, wise. We must, avoiding wars, live in such a way that everyone would like to deal with us, be like us,” Mussa Khabalevich urged and asked the youth to convey warm greetings to all their families and friends.
On Victory Day on May 9, St. Petersburg residents, along with residents of various cities and states, came out to the streets with portraits of participants in the Great Patriotic War, joining the large-scale action “Immortal Regiment”. Every year it attracts new members, becoming more and more popular. A fourth-year student of the Alexander Mozhaisky Military Space Academy, a native of Abkhazia Ismet Tarba, shared his impressions of participating in the rally in St. Petersburg.
“I carry a photo of my grandfather, Ivan Muratovich Pkin. For me it is a great pride and honor to participate in the “Immortal Regiment”. Our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, fathers, all those who fought in the Second World War are, for me, an example of the highest courage, honor, dignity and love for their homeland,” admitted Tarba.
The student noted that, unfortunately, in Abkhazia, he did not participate in such actions, but upon returning to his homeland, he “definitely will”.
The holiday of the Victory Day over the fascists in the Great Patriotic War - May 9 - is annually widely celebrated not only in Russia and in the post-Soviet space, but also in various cities and states of the world. During the Great Patriotic War, more than 55 thousand people went to the front from the Abkhaz land, 15 500 of them were Abkhaz. More than 3,000 Abazins also fought on the World War II fronts.
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