Ukraine Embassy In Malaysia Marks Remembrance And Reconciliation Day

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia marked Remembrance and Reconciliation Day by holding the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument (Tugu Negara) on Saturday. According to the embassy’s statement to Bernama, Ukraine's Ambassador to Malaysia Olexander Nechytaylo led the ceremony, accompanied by his spouse Triana Nechytaylo and President of the Ukrainian Cultural Association Lidiya Murugan. "This day, we honour the memory of more than 80 million people whose lives were claimed by global-scale violence, people of all races and nations, men and women, soldiers and civilians, small children and elderly - all those who perished, and those who survived the World War II," Nechytaylo said in the statement. Ukraine was one of the most affected countries in Europe, losing nearly 10 million of its people during WWII, he added. The ambassador said that in Ukraine, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation on May 8 was established in 2015, while May 9 is marked as the Day of Victory over Nazism in WWII. “It is a tradition for Ukrainians around the world to mark these days by paying tributes to the victims of WWII. “Every year, the Embassy and the Ukrainian community in Malaysia mark this day by gathering near Tugu Negara to lay a wreath and pay respects to the heroes”, Nechytaylo said. “In 2020, we were unable to do so because of the pandemic. But this year, we hold a small ceremony with a limited number of participants in strict compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP)”, he continued. The Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War (May 8 and May 9) is an annual international day of remembrance designated by Resolution 59/26 of the United Nations General Assembly on Nov 22, 2004. The resolution urges “Member States, organisations of the UN system, non-governmental organisations and individuals” to pay tribute to the victims of World War II. -- BERNAMA