President Barzani congratulates Russia on 'Victory Day' anniversary
"I convey my congratulations to President Putin of Russia on the occasion of #Victory75," Barzani tweeted.
“While we can't personally honor the sacrifices of the brave men & women who helped bring peace to Europe & the world at this time due to #Covid19, our thoughts are with them on this day," he added.
The president later tweeted a similar message directed to the US and European leaders, who celebrate Victory Day on May 8.
Every year on May 9, Russia commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 with large parades of servicemen and military equipment. The defeat of the Nazis by Russia and its allies brought the six-year-long World War II, which claimed millions of lives, to an end.
Amid coronavirus lockdown measures, the Russian government has cancelled the traditional military parades and other lavish celebrations used to mark the occasion.
The Soviet Union bore the brunt of casualties during the war, with an estimated 24 million civilians killed.
Kurdish-Russian relations go back to 1947, when President Barzani's grandfather Mullah Mustafa Barzani led a march of 500 Peshmerga from Mahabad, in present-day Iran, to the Soviet Union after the collapse of the short-lived Kurdish Mahabad Republic.
According to historical accounts, Kurds from different parts of the world served in the Soviet Union's Red Army to end WWII.
Russia and the Kurdistan Region enjoy close energy ties after the former's giant Rosneft signed a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in October 2017 to develop five oil blocks containing an estimated 670 million barrels of oil. The blocks are primarily located in northwestern parts of the Kurdistan Region.
The Russian giant's entry into Kurdistan Region's energy sector was lifeline to the KRG, which struggled under the weight of a financial crisis and disastrous relations with Baghdad after the September 2017 independence referendum.
Rudaw
