MOSCOW, May 8. (RIA Novosti) - Governor-General of Australia Michael Jeffery has praised Russia's incalculable contribution to defeating Nazi Germany. The governor-general, who is attending the 60th anniversary celebrations of VE Day in Moscow, told RIA Novosti that it was difficult to doubt that it would have taken far longer to secure victory over the Nazis if it had not been for the Russian troops.
The senior Australian official continued that it was important that Australians and all nations understood the huge sacrifices the Russian nation made in playing the crucial role in the fight against Nazi Germany. He put the Soviet Union's losses at more than 25 million people.
When speaking about May 9 (when Russia celebrates VE Day), he said the day marked the end of a destructive war in Europe and a victory for fundamental human values. He also said it was very important that global leaders had come to Moscow to mark the victory and pay their respects to those that lost their lives in the war.
He said that after Australia entered the war in 1939, about 200,000 Australians fought against Nazi Germany and about 17,000 were killed.
The governor-general said that an Australia Week would begin in Moscow on May 10. He said it was designed to promote business ties between the two countries. In his opinion, the events will become the biggest presentation of Australian business in Russia in the history of bilateral relations.
He added that he believed Australia and Russia had a great deal to offer each other.
