Vasilevskaya handed over Belarus’ National Flag, flown earlier to ISS, to Lukashenko
During today’s solemn ceremony at the National Flag Square in Minsk, the first cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, has handed over to the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, the National Flag which visited the International Space Station, BelTA reports
Photo: www.belta.by
Marina Vasilevskaya, together with representatives of the youth, has taken the oath of allegiance to the state symbols today. After that, the servicemen of the honour guard company gave her the National Flag, and Marina Vasilevskaya then handed it over to the President. This state symbol will take pride of place in the Palace of Independence.
The flag handed to the President was flown to the International Space Station in 2024 by the first Belarusian female cosmonaut, consolidating the status of Belarus as a space power.
In her talk with journalists, Marina Vasilevskaya said that, on this festive day, she is overwhelmed with feelings of happiness, joy and pride for Belarus – an independent, peaceful, friendly country.
"When you see your homeland from space, you realise how much you love and appreciate it," she stressed. “The National Flag, Emblem and Anthem Day celebrations reflects the patriotic, historical and cultural values of our country. It is symbolic that our National Flag flew around the Earth, making 224 turns. I proudly opened it over the territory of Belarus, and today I want to congratulate all Belarusians on the holiday!"
