Peace is the greatest treasure, and we know its value in Belarus

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, presented the Spiritual Revival awards, special prizes to art luminaries and the Belarusian Sports Olympus awards. “As before on these bright holidays, we meet to thank those who selflessly serve their people and country. We assess the cultural and spiritual life of the past year which brought unusually talented, sensitive, and sincerely dedicated Belarusians to this stage. It is also thanks to them that we have achieved our goals in the Year of Peace and Creation, thus becoming spiritually stronger and even more confident, especially against the background of the events that are happening around us,” the Head of State said during the awards ceremony.

Batskava Bulka bread loaf fest awarded a special Presidential prize, with Deputy Chair of the Board of the Grodno Regional Consumer Society Yelena Chikova receiving an honorary award from the President   Belta

The President especially emphasised, “It is obvious to us: peace is the most important value. For any people, especially Belarusian. Because we know its value.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the Last Witnesses and Genocide Without the Right to Life projects are a tribute to the memory of the innocent victims and heroes of the Great Patriotic War, “Today we thank the team of authors of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency, and the National State Television and Radio Company, who experienced all the pain and suffering of the people of the war. These films are a chronicle of terrible crimes that we will not allow ourselves and those who bear historical responsibility for them to forget... 

Our memory is a guarantee of peace in the future. Let’s forget the road to the temples and monuments of that war — expect war. With a feeling of pride and confidence in our tomorrow, we look at the successors of the generation of winners — the patriots who put straps on their shoulder.”

Among the laureates of the award For Spiritual Revival are military personnel of the honour guard company and orchestra of the Minsk Military Commandant’s Office, as well as the Polotsk Cadet School, from which pilot Nikita Kukonenko, Hero of Belarus, also graduated.
“We know, remember and honour our heroes of the past and present. These are people with a pure heart, sincere love for their native land and their people. In them, we see the strength of spirit of Belarusians,” the Head of State said.
According to the President, patriotism and spirituality are inseparable concepts, because all the best things in life begin with love — for family and friends, one’s small homeland, one’s Fatherland. This is what inspires us to serve truly noble goals.
“Each award list of today’s laureates contains the story of our entire lives, the history of the country. All of you are shaping the image of the future of Belarus, especially those in this room. We shape the future of Belarus by preserving our cultural heritage, reviving ancient traditions of folk craftsmanship and creativity in festivals and holidays, giving new life to masterpieces of high art, welcoming the first born babies, educating the younger generation on age-old spiritual values, showing mercy and taking part in the fate of compatriots who need special care, rising to the sports Olympus for the glory of the Motherland, helping their students conquer this peak, covering the victories of our athletes in the media,” the Belarusian leader emphasised.

belta

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that today not only Belarusians have only one thing on their lips, ‘If only there was no war’.
“Some once laughed at this: ‘Oh, these Belarusians again: if only there was no war...’ Today they don’t laugh anymore. Because if there is a war — that’s all. There can be no talk about any culture, any production, or quality,” the Belarusian leader noted. 
“But I repeat once again: there will be no war if we, each in our place, do what we are obliged to do if our economy works. Our enemies and enemies, let's be honest, choose the right moment to bring us to our knees. We shouldn't give them that chance. And for this we have everything. Everything depends on us. And most of all from those who are in this room, as they say — the elite of our country,” the Head of State emphasised.
During the ceremony, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised the importance of the people of Belarus preserving their cultural sovereignty.

“We, Belarusians, are creators at our core. Since ancient times, we have lived by our own minds, which is why we have preserved our way of life, culture and spirituality in the most difficult periods of development. It is very important. Many today, especially our fugitives, are shouting loudly about the ‘zanyapad’ [a decline in Belarusian] of spirituality and culture. There will be no ‘busy work’ if we show our people the masterpieces of this creativity. No one will strangle anyone for creativity. This has never happened in our recent history and will never happen. But we will not allow anyone to destroy what has been created and developed by generations of Belarusians for centuries — our traditions, our spirituality and the highest feelings are based on the past,” the Head of State said.

At the same time, according to the President, Belarus is open to the world, respects the customs and traditions of other peoples, and is receptive to new ideas, “But on one condition: everything that comes into our lives, Belarusians, must resonate, correspond to our national values, spiritual world and enrich our nation culturally.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that the future of the nation depends on the personal example of all participants and guests of the ceremony, on their civic position and professional choice. “You don’t need to explain how important it is to keep our cultural sovereignty in your hands. It naturally begins with a careful attitude towards the purity of our native speech (Russian and Belarusian), the priority of the traditional content of creative projects and holidays, the traditional design of our national product and the entire living space.”
The Head of State called deep respect for the native culture created by folk artists, Soviet and Belarusian classics a matter of national dignity, “Under no circumstances should we give up what we have achieved. For the question will arise: what inheritance are we refusing and on what will we build our future?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko wished all residents of Belarus success in the coming year — both creative and production, “We will, as before, strive for perfection and a decent level of our cultural, spiritual and socio-political life.”
The President thanked the award winners for their contribution to the development of their native Belarus and personally presented them with diplomas.

Laureates of the Spiritual Revival Award shared their emotions and impressions

Stanislav Krasovsky, Director of the Polotsk Cadet School,
“Patriotism is not a training course that can simply be laid out in the paragraphs of a textbook. This is a special spirit, aspiration of the soul, a requirement of life. Love for the Motherland cannot be instilled artificially. And I am glad that our teachers are able to find strings in the soul of every cadet, helping tomorrow’s defenders of the Fatherland understand their role in civil society. I am proud that true patriots are leaving the walls of the school. Let me note right away: without the support of the state, our success would have been unrealistic. So the For Spiritual Revival Prize is a reward not only for teachers, but also for everyone who in one way or another contributed both to the history of the Polotsk school and to the development of the cadet movement in the country.”

Sergei Vasiliev, Director of the Mother and Child National Research Centre,
“Mother and child health is not a purely physical category. It includes both psychological and social components. Without the right attitude towards one’s parental purpose and harmonious interaction in society, it is difficult to imagine a happy family and a strong state. Our centre did a lot last year not only in terms of maintaining trends — low maternal and infant mortality rates, but also in promoting traditional family values and responsible parenthood. As the director of the centre, a father of many children and a believer, I support state policy regarding the family and am glad that our collective work in this direction has received such high praise as the For Spiritual Revival award.” 

Abbess Anfisa (Lyubchak), Abbess of the Holy Protection Convent (Tolochin),
“Receiving such a high award is both pleasant and responsible. By doing good to others, we do good to God. Spiritual rebirth is the rebirth of the soul of each of us. Today, more than ever, it is important to be compassionate. No matter how difficult the moments may be, we must do good: for the sake of ourselves and others. If a person does not deny God, it means that in his life there is a certain limit to all actions. The unbeliever believes that he is a king and God. When the soul is dead, a person knows only his own self. Thanks to spirituality, there is peace in our soul, not rage or hatred. Only prayer can cleanse and inspire us.”

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by