President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated veterans and the entire people of Uzbekistan on the holiday of May 9 - the Day of Remembrance and Honor and the 79th anniversary of the Great Victory in World War II.
"On this significant day, we pay tribute to our fathers and grandfathers, who showed true heroism in the most terrible war in the history of mankind and saved the world from fascism, to all our brave and noble compatriots who selflessly worked in the rear and made a worthy contribution to ensuring Victory," the congratulatory message said.
"We express immense gratitude to dear veterans who, returning from the war, valiantly worked for the prosperity of our country and today illuminate our lives with their blessings. We gratefully remember our brave soldiers who died in the line of duty in the years of independence, defending the freedom of the Motherland, peace, and the tranquility of the people," emphasized Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He recalled that during the war years, more than 1.95 million Uzbek soldiers were mobilized to the front, of whom over 538,000 died, more than 158,000 went missing, over 870,000 were wounded, and more than 60,000 returned from the front with disabilities.
"This testifies to the high price at which Victory was achieved. And today, after so many years, the wounds in the soul of the people left by that bloody war have not healed," the president stated.
During the war, 214,000 soldiers and officers from Uzbekistan were awarded combat orders and medals, including 301 who were honored with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and 70 with orders of the "Glory" of three degrees. "Their exploits are undoubtedly the brightest pages of the chronicle of the Great Victory," he underscored.
The work of industrial enterprises in the republic at that time was geared towards the needs of the front. "From the regions engulfed in the flames of war, over 170 plants and factories were relocated to our country, and production was quickly established. Our people sent a huge amount of military equipment, weapons, medicines, clothing, food, and other necessary products to the front," noted the head of state.
"Just in 1941-1943, Uzbekistanis voluntarily contributed over 475 million rubles to the defense fund, personal valuables worth 22 million rubles, which was another important contribution to the approaching Victory," he continued.
"Displaying exceptional humanism, our people donated blood to almost 1.5 million people evacuated from the combat zones, surrounded 250,000 children who lost their parents with fatherly care, shared their last piece of bread with them," the president emphasized.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev touched upon the issue of immortalizing the memory of those who died in the war. In the Memorial Complex "Park of Victory," about 50 books-albums and monographs, collections of unique documents have been published, hundreds of previously unknown historical facts have been uncovered and presented to the public.
As part of the project "I Am Looking for My Grandfather," a list of about 2 million compatriots - war participants was compiled. Through more than 300 appeals from Uzbekistan's citizens, important information about the fate of 200 missing warriors was collected.
"We are undoubtedly in an unpaid debt to these great people who fought for our present free life without sparing themselves. We will continue to create all conditions for them," the president stressed.
"In the current extremely complex and turbulent times, the feat and glorious traditions of the veteran heroes serve as an example for us in fulfilling such very important tasks as educating the youth in the spirit of patriotism, protecting our children from various negative influences, in the ability to value and preserve our most precious asset - peace and stability, interethnic and interfaith friendship and harmony. Inspired by such incredible strength of spirit, we will definitely honorably fulfill our high duty to defend the Motherland, preserve peaceful life, and build a New Uzbekistan," he declared.
