Lukashenko: truth and memory of war stronger than time for Belarusians
The truth and memory of the war are stronger than time for Belarusians – as stated by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko during today’s solemn meeting on the occasion of Victory Day in the Palace of the Republic
Addressing the veterans and participants of the solemn event, the Head of State noted that there are many bright pages in our history that we are rightfully proud of, “Not all of them have retained their importance to the present day. Many were simply forgotten, having lost their former meanings. However, there are dates and events that carry an understanding of the essence and truth of life. They are beyond the control of time and circumstances, being passed down through generations with mother’s milk, protecting from mistakes and helping build the future.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined that the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War became such an event for Belarusians. That’s why the updated Constitution enshrines the thesis that ‘the state ensures the preservation of historical truth and memory of the heroic feat of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War’.
“The truth and memory of the war are stronger than time for Belarusians, and have no borders. We remember our anti-fascist friends, the heroes of the Normandie-Niemen Regiment, the participants of the Meeting on the Elbe and other examples of joint struggle against the enemy. This is a source of our common pride with all those who confronted fascism with us and who is still proud of this. All the peoples of the earth should know what an incredibly high price was paid by Belarusians alone for peace and freedom,” the Belarusian leader underlined.
The President recalled terrible figures: over 300,000 our compatriots were abducted to Germany as slaves. In fact, this is the whole population of a country like Iceland, or the entire pre-war Minsk. The notorious Trostenets camp alone claimed the lives of more than 200,000 civilians.
“Everything that was created by Belarusians was destroyed or taken to the West. Hundreds of ghettos and concentration camps have turned our peaceful land into a conveyor belt of death. People from European countries were brought here to die. In fact, it was a genocide of the civilian population. This was officially established by an Extraordinary State Commission immediately after the war, and nowadays our Prosecutor General’s Office continues these investigations. Every third person died,” the Head of State said.
