On this Day of Remembrance and Honor, we congratulate the people of Uzbekistan on the 77th anniversary of the Victory of Allied Forces over Nazism in World War II. We remember and we honor the contributions and sacrifices of the more than 530,000 Uzbekistanis who served among the 34 million members of the Soviet Forces in alliance with the United States, Great Britain, and other Allies. We offer our deepest respect to them and to their families and descendants.
While we celebrate May 9th as a victory for peace and freedom, we unfortunately see today the type of horrific behavior that defined the world before 1945: an attempt by a state to subjugate its neighbor and seize territory through force. We cannot allow our world to go back to this dark, less secure past. We therefore condemn these acts of aggression and recognize the bravery of all people that seek to defend their independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Today, we remember the shared history between the Uzbekistan and the United States of struggle against tyranny. And we wish the proudly independent people of Uzbekistan continued strength, health, peace, and prosperity.
