Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov on Friday attended commemoration events in Beijing for the 76th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, during which the envoy stressed the importance of maintaining historic truth, peace and regional security.

Before visiting the special exhibit "The Battle of Stalingrad - symbol of intrepidity and heroism" at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Denisov spoke at the opening, along with museum director and Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui.

The exhibit, co-hosted by Russia's Battle of Stalingrad State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve, represents China-Russia friendship. About 200 precious historical pictures and 63 cultural relics are on display, telling the story of the WW2 turning point, the Battle of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). It shows the history of resistance to fascism and the pursuit of peace and justice.

About 7,000 people visited the exhibit on the special day and some of them laid flowers in front of the monument of war heroes at the museum.

Due to pandemic limitations, we [China and Russia] have no opportunities to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory of WW2 in 2020. But this year, we have more possibilities to resume our collaborations, so that's why we used this opportunity to arrange the event, Denisov told the Global Times in an interview on Friday.

"It's been a long time since WWII, and sometimes historical truth is being corrected by some countries to justify fascism and militarism. So people in the two countries have to do their best to maintain historic truth… Such an event is not only important, but timely," Denisov said.

The ambassador also made an impromptu request to visit Lugou Bridge near the museum. He explained that although he had visited the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression three times, it is his first visit to Lugou Bridge, where the all-out anti-Japanese war began. 

Foreigners may not know exactly where Lugou Bridge is, but it is a symbol of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Denisov said.

"35 million Chinese died in the war [of Resistance against Japanese Aggression];  it [all-out anti-Japanese war] started from here; This is where the Chinese say 'we should stay true to our original aspiration,'" Denisov said.

The year of 2021 also marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. The leaders of China and Russia have recently made collaborative remarks on issues including the situation in Afghanistan, climate change, virus origins tracing, and the regional situation.

China and Russia are not allies but "we are close over years in today's world and in history," Denisov told the Global Times. 

When asked about Japan's recent militaristic tendencies and the US and Japan's efforts to stir up the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the ambassador said it make sense to remind neighbors the result before their aggressive plots and miscalculation.

Some countries and forces try to change the state model of other countries and try to interfere and impose their rules and values… The position of China and Russia is to resist such views and hostile actions. 

Denisov said a balanced and peaceful approach is the way to cope with neighboring countries, as "safety and security of both us（China and Russia）and other countries cannot be separated."

It is not a zero-sum game, it's a win-win game and we have to follow it. And this is what our countries [China and Russia] are doing now, the ambassador said.