Interethnic peace in Belarus achieved thanks to state attention
Aleksandr Rumak, the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs of Belarus, has informed on the most significant religious and national-cultural events scheduled as part of the Year of Historical Memory celebrations
On June 22nd, an all-Belarusian prayer – For Peace and Calmness! – will be held countrywide as part of Day of Remembrance and Sorrow. In addition, an important and interesting campaign is now in full swing jointly with the Belarusian Republican Youth Union: Restoration of Shrines. We are United by History and Faith.
“Belarus has no conflicts on ethnic, racial, cultural, linguistic, and confessional grounds – much owing to a special attention to this issue on the part of the state,” Mr. Rumak explains. “We continue our work to strengthen peace and harmony in the country, enhance co-operation with Belarusians who live abroad to preserve and promote our traditions, legacy and historical memory. Meetings, conferences, round table discussions with participation of representatives of religious associations are organised, and these – and other – events contribute to interfaith and interethnic dialogue, development of patriotism aimed at strengthening the unity of the Belarusian people.”
According to Mr. Rumak, the ministries of defence, culture, education, construction and architecture, housing and utility services, regional executive committees and the Minsk City Executive Committee, the Office of the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs will unite their effort to identify memorial burial sites of the victims of the genocide of the Belarusian people and places of military glory, to ensure the safety of places where skeletal remains of the victims of the genocide have been discovered, and to organise work dealing with their reburial with observance of rituals and payment of a last tribute to those killed.
Mr. Rumak also informed that preparations are currently underway for the 13th Republican Festival of National Cultures. Its final stage will be hosted by Grodno – to gather over a thousand of representatives of different nationalities residing in Belarus.
