国际英语新闻：CIS leaders pledge to safeguard veterans' benefit

MOSCOW, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) declared here Saturday to forever remember the history of the Great Patriotic War and vowed to safeguard legal interests of war veterans.

The CIS informal summit, which was mainly dedicated to the lessons of the World War II and issues related to veterans, extended a message to veterans who attended the Great Patriotic War for festival congratulations and deep gratitude.

An informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit is held at the Russian President's Gorki residence just outside Moscow, capital of Russia, May 8, 2010. The attendees of the summit expressed to protect the legal rights of World War II veterans.

"Your unimaginable efforts and sacrifices both at the battlefront and home have conquered the enemy and liberated millions of people," said the document.

"The most horrible, bloodiest war, from which peoples of all countries have suffered huge losses, will be forever kept in human history ... We will continue to comprehensively protect social and economic rights as well as legal interests of the Great Patriotic War's veterans in remembrance of those lives lost," it went on.

Prior to the meeting, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said it was symbolic to hold the CIS summit on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Victory of the Great Patriotic War.

"We pay tribute to the memory of our people who fought jointly and made a decisive contribution to the common victory," Medvedev was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.