"Azerbaijan respects the participants of the Great Patriotic War and honors their memory," Director General of the Caspian Strategic Studies Institute of Russia Igor Korotchenko said in a statement to journalists.

Axar.az reports that Igor Korotchenko emphasized that Azerbaijan had an unparalleled role in the Victory:

"First and foremost, Azerbaijani oil should be mentioned in this regard. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani soldiers and officers fought within the Soviet Army all the way to Berlin. We are pleased that Azerbaijan participates in events organized in Russia related to the Great Patriotic War. For this, we are first grateful to President Ilham Aliyev. His father, Heydar Aliyev, was a general in the Soviet security services and served as the Chairman of the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. Heydar Aliyev distinguished himself with his professionalism."