Mezentsev: Belarus-Russia shared past makes us stronger

The shared past of Belarus and Russia makes us stronger and convinces us that we have been walking together step by step for centuries, State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev told reporters before the start of the international forum – History for the Future: Russia and Belarus – underlining that this event will be a meaningful contribution to the enormous work carried out by the Russian and Belarusian sides to form a common view of our shared past

“Of particular importance are the positions of Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko in protecting the historical truth about the Great Patriotic War,” noted Dmitry Mezentsev. “We see the respect that our presidents show for the soldiers of Victory, for the partisans and home front workers. This is an order and instruction for all of us: to very clearly and carefully take a position in defence of what was committed by previous generations, as well as to jointly resist the pressure, insinuations and attempts at humiliation that are manifested in relation towards Belarus and Russia.”

Dmitry Mezentsev added that within the framework of the new project – The Union State Library – two books have already been published about the contribution of the Belarusian regiments to the victory over Napoleon and about the obvious facts of the heroism of the Belarusian people – the defenders of Leningrad and the Leningrad Region.

He underlined, “We’re also preparing new projects dedicated to Simeon Polotsky, Francysk Skaryna, Mikhail Lomonosov – those enlighteners who shaped our united Slavic civilisation. By this we underline the unity of spiritual and cultural tradition.”