Open letter from the exile government of independent Tatarstan to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
In Khabarovsk, Russia, a monument to the Soviet victory over Japan at the end of the Second World War and the capture of Sakhalin was unveiled on September 4, following the violation of the non-aggression pact that had been in force between the two countries until then. Japan immediately demanded the removal of the monument. The Tatar government-in-exile unequivocally sided with Japan through an open letter.
Dear Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi,
We support your demand for the dismantling of the “Victory in the East” monument dedicated to the USSR’s victory over Japan, which was unveiled in Khabarovsk on September 4. The Japanese people and we are outraged by the image of a Soviet soldier destroying a border post bearing the Imperial Chrysanthemum crest. Nevertheless, the Russian authorities have declared that they will not begin to remove or modify this monument, even though they should first and foremost apologize to the Japanese people for the insults.
This monument deeply offends the feelings of the Japanese; we understand your position because we Tatars have often had to deal with similar situations. Russian colonizers also erect monuments in various regions to Ivan the Terrible, who committed genocide against the Tatar nation and other peoples. In recent years, dozens of monuments to participants of the “SMO” have also been erected in Russia; this testifies to the imperial relationship toward Ukrainians.
Indeed, this monument was created precisely on Putin’s orders—through the joint efforts of the Russian Military-Historical Society and the government of the Khabarovsk Territory—with the aim of escalating tensions in relations between Russia and Japan. It is worth noting that Putin continues the policies of Ivan the Terrible and Joseph Stalin; one only needs to recall the massacres of Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Crimean Tatars, Chechens, Georgians, Syrians, and Ukrainians.
Respectfully,
Rafis Kashapov – Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan (GTI) in exile
Vil Mirzayanov – Honorary Advisor to the GTI in exile
Isa Sadykov – Honorary Consul of the GTI in exile in Azerbaijan
Nafis Kashapov – Deputy Prime Minister of the GTI in exile
Marat Akhmerov – Deputy Prime Minister of the GTI in exile for Legal and Legislative Affairs
Zufar Zainullin – Ambassador of the GTI in exile to the Republic of Latvia
Vyacheslav Sivchik – Honorary Consul of the GTI in exile in Belarus
Dmitry Kuznetsov – Representative of the GTI in exile in Finland
Kamil Sukaev – Ambassador of the GTI in exile to the USA / Representative of the “Free Idel-Ural” movement, New York, USA
Nurmuhamet Yunusov – Representative of the GTI exile government for cooperation with the peoples of the Lower Volga region
Baatr Pyurbeev – Representative of the GTI in exile for interaction with Mongolian peoples
Zilya Usmanova – Representative of the exile government of independent Tatarstan for interaction with the Ural Tatars
Alina Koltsova – GTI activist in exile in Sweden
Raushan Gizatullin – Representative of the GTI in exile in Bavaria
Translated from the English and Ukrainian versions by Pavel Veselský.
Translation without additions or edits. The text does not express the views of the editorial staff.
