By Russian Embassy in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--We took note of several articles published in Malaysian mass media on the famine in Ukraine in the 1930s.

The Embassy of Russia in Malaysia pays tribute to all Soviet people who became victims of the Great Famine engulfed a significant part of the territory of the Soviet Union at that time.

As a result of the famine caused by forced collectivization, many regions of the then Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (the Volga region, the Central Black Earth Region, the North Caucasus, the Urals, Crimea, parts of Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic and Western Siberia), Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic suffered from hunger and diseases caused by malnutrition.

Millions of Soviet citizens of various ethnic origins died of starvation across the country in 1932-1933.

In 2003, Russia along with some other former Soviet republics, the United States, a dozen Muslim countries and other like-minded countries became a co-sponsor of the Joint statement of delegations to the United Nations on the seventieth anniversary of the Great Famine.

The signatories expressed sympathy to the victims of the Great Famine and called upon all Member States, the United Nations and its special agencies, international and regional organisations, as well as non-governmental organisations, foundations and associations to pay tribute to the memory of those who perished during that tragic period of history.

As stated in the document, the signatories do not want to settle scores with the past, it could not be changed, but they are convinced that exposing violations of human rights, preserving historical records and restoring the dignity of victims through acknowledgement of their suffering, will guide future societies and help to avoid similar catastrophes in the future.

We sincerely hope that Malaysia, as a responsible member of the international community, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2022–2024, as well as a country with strong policies and initiatives addressing the food security problems, shares values and understanding of this still relevant common call.

Russia is ready to extend cooperation with Malaysia on these issues in international fora.