Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized at a meeting with a delegation of the German opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Moscow on December 8 that Russia condemns any efforts to play down the Nazi crimes against humanity and any efforts to glorify Nazi criminals, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said answering reporters’ questions on Saturday, TASS reports.
“It is not true,” she said when asked to comment on reports that at the meeting with the delegation of the Alternative for Germany party in Moscow on December 8 the Russian senior diplomats did not raise a question about that party’s policy to justify the military aggression of Nazi Germany and Nazi crimes.
“At the talks with the delegation of Alternative for Germany, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out that we reject and condemn any efforts aimed at belittling the Nazi crimes against humanity, at whitewashing atrocities of National Socialism and at glorifying Nazi criminals,” the diplomat said.
According to Zakharova, the German lawmakers’ attention was drawn to personalized payments to Leningrad siege survivors, regardless of their nationality.
“The AfD representatives showed understanding for our assessments. They spoke about the importance of preserving historical memory about those years’ events and about the proper maintenance of the war graves of Soviet [soldiers] in Germany. During their visit, the AfD delegation laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin wall,” she added.
