‘Without this memory the world will not be safe’

FORMER enemies and allies sombrely marked the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II yesterday, underlining the need to remember the bloodiest conflict in the 20th century so as not to repeat it.

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, whose country sided with Nazi Germany during the initial invasion of Poland in 1939, said the war and its causes needed to be studied from all perspectives.

“We should examine everything which ended up bringing about the tragedy of September 1, 1939,” Putin said, standing next to Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk after the two met ahead of official commemorations. “We must do this so that this tragedy never happens again.”