А rally dedicated to the 37th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan was held in Tskhinval.
The event was attended by the Republic's leadership, headed by President Alan Gagloev, Russian Ambassador to South Ossetia Marat Kulakhmetov, veterans of the Afghan war, and the South Ossetian and Russian military personnel.
The rally began with a flower- and wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to the internationalist soldiers.
The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen.
Addressing those gathered, Alan Gagloev emphasized the importance of preserving historical memory and the continuity of generations.
"Today we are honoring the courage of the internationalist soldiers who took part in the fighting in Afghanistan and are honoring the memory of the fallen heroes. Our duty is to preserve the truth about those events and pass it on to the younger generation," the President said.
According to him, today's fighters from South Ossetia are also holding the name of Ossetians high in the special military operation zone, fulfilling their military duty with dignity.
"Our youth should learn from such examples," the head of state has noted.
Murat Guchmazov, Chairman of the Union of the Afghan Veterans, has reminded that the Internationalist Soldiers' Day was marked by the departure of the last Soviet soldier from Afghanistan.
He expressed gratitude to the Republic's leadership and the Russian Embassy in South Ossetia for their support of the veterans.
