CIS leaders describe Nazi extermination of Soviet civilians as genocide

CIS heads of state said the expulsion and extermination of civilians by the Nazis and their collaborators should be regarded as genocide against the peoples of the Soviet Union.

The position appears in a statement marking the Commonwealth's 35th anniversary, adopted on 9 October at the summit in Turkmenistan. The Council of Heads of State met in the Avaza tourist zone near Turkmenbashi. The anniversary statement was published after the meeting.

The historical assessment is presented as the document authors' agreed position. It concerns Nazi and collaborator actions against the Soviet Union's civilian population. The statement also sets out intentions to strengthen cooperation among CIS countries.

At the same summit, participants adopted a separate statement on preserving historical memory. It calls for cooperation among historians and archivists, protection of monuments and opposition to the glorification of Nazism and fascism. Both documents were adopted at the same meeting.