‘Spirituality and morality at heart of strong, independent state’

Honouring laureates of Spiritual Revival prizes in the first few days of the new year has become a tradition of sovereign Belarus. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during the ceremony held on January 8th to present the President’s prizes Spiritual Revival, special prizes for art luminaries, and Belarusian Sports Olympus prizes.  Aleksandr Lukashenko said, “Christmas days create a special atmosphere and inspire people to do good deeds. It has been like that since ancient times. This is how we understand this bright holiday today, too. It contains origins of our ceremony for honouring laureates of the Spiritual Revival prize and the President’s special prizes in the first few days of the new year. The event itself has already become a tradition of sovereign Belarus. And we cannot imagine these wonderful days without a beautiful solemn moment: the moment of well-earned glory of our deserving people.”

Iryna Kurachkina, an Honoured Master of Sports, Olympic silver medallist, three-time bronze medallist at the World
Championships, and three-time European wrestling champion, received a high award from the Head of State    belta

Addressing the laureates who had gathered at the Palace of the Republic, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, “The importance of your work is much greater than you may realise. Each of your successes inspires many Belarusians to new achievements, which are as kind, humane and very necessary [as yours]. With this in view, we annually meet on this stage with people who are being guided by the sincerest feelings: loyalty to their vocation and love for their native land.”

According to the Head of State, it is thanks to the persons who are being awarded today and to their devotion to lofty ideals that ‘we are successfully resisting the challenges that time poses to us’. “[We live in] a time of chaos, wars, and the devaluation of true values, while the truth is simple: spirituality and morality are at the heart of any human activity. As I often say, justice is a life-giving elixir for culture, a strong bond between generations and traditions. They are the foundation of the unity of a nation that knows its history, honours the legacy of its ancestors and cares about the future. They create the basis for the people’s character. Spirituality and morality are the foundation of a strong, independent state,” the President stressed.

During Spiritual Revival award ceremony at Palace of the Republic      Yegor Yermalitsky

Aleksandr Lukashenko congratulated the laureates of the Spiritual Revival awards, special prizes to art luminaries and the Belarusian Sports Olympus awards, “Thanks to people like you — patriots and creators, our native Belarus remains an island of peace, tranquillity, humanity and mercifulness.”
According to the Head of State, all the laureates are true zealots, creators of real art, guardians of the Belarusian nation’s soul. “We are celebrating today the merits of the figures of culture who preserve and enrich our national treasury, arouse interest in folk crafts, and foster respect for our traditions,” he stressed.
Among the awardees are clergymen, doctors, and social workers. These are the persons who have extended a helping hand to the ones who faced difficulties, who are selflessly and sincerely caring for children living through difficult times. “We are proud of the successes of our famous athletes and coaches — who have been awarded the Belarusian Sports Olympus prizes — at the world’s largest tournaments,” the Head of State added.

“All the achievements of our laureates and their activities are of a serious spiritual and patriotic significance, and this is especially important now — in the period when the country is preparing to celebrate the sacred date: 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. We cherish the memory of the past, confidently move forward and boldly look into the future. Thank you for your achievements and victories,” Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked the laureates.

Honouring laureates of Spiritual Revival prizes has become a tradition of sovereign Belarus       Yegor Yermalitsky
  
The Head of State drew the attention of the ceremony participants to the fact that he was publicly speaking of the challengeable year 2025 for the third time already, “I am telling you this frankly. Remember: no matter who makes ample promises to you, we will have to work twice as much as in the previous year. Nevertheless, we will overcome all difficulties — not only because I want to say some banal phrases like ‘we are united, we are inspired’… We have learned how to work in difficult conditions, under the pressure exerted from all sides. It seemed that we would fail to stand our ground, but bear in mind my words: I told you to forget about the sanctions, they do not exist — and that saved us.”
According to the President, if Belarusians had emotionally plunged into the sanctions policy, the economy would have collapsed, and that would have ruined the state. “Therefore, regardless of any sanctions, the life is such that we will have to survive and withstand this pressure in any situation. We will cope with this task,” he stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko added that the year 2025 and the whole five-year period will be held under the slogan of peace and security. “If there is peace, then everything else will follow. We need to save peace for Belarus, and we will do that together with you,” he addressed those present at the ceremony.

Renowned Belarusian athletes during Spiritual Revival award ceremony at Palace of the Republic     Yegor Yermalitsky

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, “No matter how hard someone tries to rock us today, nothing will work. All such attempts are doomed to failure! We will save our country. It already belongs to our children and grandchildren, so we must think about their future. We are already doing that. We will do everything in the coming five years to ensure that our country forever forgets the problem of preserving its statehood. Our country will always be a state, despite any trends and tendencies developing in the international arena.”

The Head of State also drew attention to his thesis about the change of generations, “We are handing our country over to the hands of a new generation. You and I will have to form this generation and find a job for these new people. It is a really difficult work, but we are determined to organise and carry it out.”

Support for talented youth 

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed an executive order on January 8th to allocate over Br90,000 from the special fund of the President of Belarus to support the talented youth.
A total of 23 special prizes and two grand prizes were awarded to the dance group of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts Laboratory of Variety Dance and 24 winners of international and national art competitions.
The President’s order demonstrates the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for talented youth to develop their skills and talents and promote their professional growth. 

Belarus President’s scholarships for 2025 awarded to 49 postgraduate students 

Scholarships of the President of Belarus for the year 2025 have been awarded to 49 postgraduate students, who pursue thesis research in priority areas of technical, medical, chemical, economic, pedagogical and other activities in educational institutions and research organisations. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed the relevant executive order on January 10th.
The Belarusian leader has been awarding such scholarships annually since 2007 based on the results of an open competition. They are designed to stimulate the attraction and retention of young researchers in the field of science, support their creative initiative, develop national scientific schools, and train researchers of the highest qualification.

Staff of Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts among winners of President’s prize Spiritual Revival 

They were awarded in recognition of their vigorous efforts in the patriotic education of young people and the implementation of the Memory Line. Code of War project. University Rector Natalya Karchevskaya thanked Aleksandr Lukashenko for such a high award, “It is difficult to communicate the full range of emotions that each of us is experiencing at this exciting moment. Accepting the high awards, we, the laureates, would like to express our sincere gratitude to you and all those who ensure peace and harmony in the Belarusian land. After all, only in a peaceful environment can we create what the Belarusian state really needs. All our victories are inseparable from national and spiritual values, from the historical memory of our people, and from the state policy pursued by our President. This year is the year in which we all take the exam. This is an examination before our ancestors and our children, an examination of patriotism, dedication to national interests, and steadfastness of the state position. Aleksandr Grigorievich, we will do everything to pass it with flying colours.” 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by