Expert: referendum of 1995 became serious turning point in Belarus’ history
At the 1995 referendum – which anniversary is celebrated today, May 14th, the people of Belarus voted for state symbols, as well as for economic integration with Russia and giving the Russian language the status of a state language. In his talk with Alfa Radio, Aleksei Belyaev, the Dean of the BSU Journalism Department, shared his views on the importance of that historical event.
The holiday of Belarus’ flag and coat of arms was established in 1995 in honour of the adoption of state symbols at a republican referendum. Since 2023, it has been celebrated as National Emblem, Flag and Anthem Day.
“The referendum of 1995 was a serious turning point in the history of Belarus, in the development of our society. Answers were then received on a true democratic basis to the question of how our country should build its long-term strategy. Wide segments of the population took part in the campaign,” Mr. Belyaev noted, recalling how Belarusians had previously been imposed symbols upon that they did not accept. “No one was asked then, there were no referendums or polls. A white-red-white flag was simply brought into the hall. That was all happening under an enormous pressure in the conditions of the political lawlessness observed in 1991. Certain symbols were imposed on us then, and oppositionists and extremists are now trying to demonstrate them all the time.”
According to the expert, oppositionists have repeatedly stated that the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, took the oath under that flag. “True, but there was such a situation then. Those symbols were imposed, and I well remember very well the atmosphere, the rejection of them by the majority of society. People did not want to get new passports with new symbols, they preferred to have the old Soviet ones. It became easier in this regard only after the symbols were changed in 1995 and were placed on state documents. Of course, symbols play a great role, and our coat of arms, flag and anthem symbolise the continuity of modern Belarus with the past," he said.
Mr. Belyayev added that many countries ‘have cut out’ their historical memory, “Ukraine, for example, does not want to recognise its kinship and unity with the 20th century Ukraine. These are people who have committed the wildest stupidity. No matter how much you want to, you still cannot cover up, change history. It will come to the surface in any case. Belarusians had a great opportunity to symbolically confirm this unity, and they did it. Moreover, we have something to be proud of. The 20th century is an era of pride for Belarusians. This is the era of our country’s formation. The BSSR flag and coat of arms became the prototypes for our modern symbols. As for the anthem, we have preserved its musical part. We show that this is our country. It is ours – as it was a hundred years ago. At the same time, we show by our symbols that we are guided not by old feudal epochs: our priority is modern development. We are directing our country into the future, and this can also be traced at a symbolic level.”
During the 1995 referendum, more than 83 percent of people in the country supported the actions of the President of Belarus aimed at economic integration with the Russian Federation. From that historic moment, the process of creating the Union State of Russia and Belarus actually began – focusing on the prosperity of both peoples.
“We see that we were not mistaken. Here, of course, there are external circumstances – such as sanctions, artificial restrictions, non-admission of Belarusians to the European and American markets. We are engaged into substitution, but we also see that Russia is a close, reliable and very convenient partner from the point of view of Belarus' national interests," Mr. Belyaev said.
The Russia-Belarus integration within the framework of the Union State has no analogues in the world. The Union State is an equal union of two sovereign countries, and it implements the concept of a deeply integrated economy, a single political, defence and humanitarian space. As noted by the expert, the two states are following the path of extremely close co-operation.
“We have done a lot in the field of unification, legislation, and the opening of economic spaces. In fact, as our Prime Minister and Russian leaders said, we have a very large mutual share. It is difficult for us to assert that a certain product is purely Belarusian or Russian. We have co-operative chains, each of the countries uses the other for some part,” Mr. Belyaev explained.
The expert added that Belarus enjoys access to the Russian market without any barriers and restrictions now. Moreover, they republic has the opportunity to use raw materials that it lacks. “At the same time, we provide Russia with our production facilities, qualified personnel, and scientific developments. We see mutual benefit. Our trade turnover is growing, GDP is increasing, people are getting a decent salary, and enterprises are not being destroyed. At the same time, we have also preserved our production, and from the point of view of national security, we have retained the ability to produce key products domestically, even under conditions of sanctions and pressure. This is paramount for strengthening sovereignty. The policy of integration with the Russian Federation – once proposed by Aleksandr Lukashenko and supported by the people – contributes to this," he noted, adding that the key integration programmes implemented in the Union State have been applied in the EAEU and the SCO, thus proving their relevance and effectiveness.
Mr. Belyaev also recalled that the referendum also raised the issue of giving the Russian language an equal status with Belarusian. That idea was supported by more than 80 percent of respondents. “That was also one of the wise steps. Russian was the language of live communication, the language that people spoke. How can you forbid people to speak their native language? Ukraine has done this, and we see what is happening now. Our President clearly understands that it is impossible to act on the spur of the moment. No one forbids the Belarusian language, but no one will allow Russian to be banned. Both languages are our pride. A good command of the Russian language means involvement into our common treasury, our common culture," he stressed, noting that the Belarusian language should also be supported in the country.
