Flowers laid at Brussels memorial to fallen heroes
Diplomats of CIS Member States on Saturday marked Victory Day in Brussels with a ceremony honoring Soviet soldiers and Belgian Resistance fighters, Qazinform News Agency reports.
On behalf of Kazakhstan, wreaths were laid by Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg and Head of Mission to the European Union and NATO, along with the country's Military Attaché to the Benelux countries and Military Representative to NATO.
The Brussels municipal cemetery in the commune of Evere contains mass graves from World War II, including those of Soviet citizens. Small headstones, bearing names, surnames, and dates of birth and death, are located in a fenced section. In 1999, a memorial to the Soviet citizens who died in Belgium was erected at this site. It consists of a slab placed on a low concrete base, with inscriptions in Russian, French, and Dutch reading: "To the Soviet citizens who fell for the liberation of Belgium."
Every year on Victory Day, a solemn wreath-laying ceremony is held at the monument. The event is attended by officers, diplomats, and administrative and technical staff from the diplomatic missions of CIS countries.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Senate Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev, and Majilis Speaker Yerlan Koshanov paid tribute to the fallen heroes at the Otan Ana Monument in Astana in honor of Victory Day.