Without peace there can be no creation. It is important to add quality to this!

On the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, visited the Church of the Holy Prophet John the Baptist, which is located in the agro-town of Shershuny, Minsk District. According to tradition, the Head of State lit a Christmas candle in the church and talked with representatives of the clergy and parishioners.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that in 2020, when he came to the opening of this church, local parishioners invited him to visit this temple again.
“I promised, that’s why I came to you today. I came from this bright, kind church to congratulate on my own behalf all of you and all our Belarusians, our guests, everyone who will hear me, on the kindest, bright holiday — Merry Christmas,” the President said.
The Head of State noted that the country has important secular holidays, such as Victory Day, Independence Day, as well as spiritual ones, such as Christmas or Easter.
“They have passed through the years, they are in our minds and hearts. And, as time has shown, it is impossible to eradicate them from us. That’s why they are great,” the Belarusian leader emphasised.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that all the years of the current five-year plan, starting from 2020, have been difficult. 

“But the Lord probably protects and has protected us. We managed to pass through these years peacefully. And then, when you and I opened this temple, you asked for only one thing, as if anticipating that these would be difficult years: that there be peace on our land. We are capable of creating everything else in our country with our minds and hands. And so it happened. God grant that it continues like this. We are moving from the Year of Peace and Creation (without peace there can be no creation) into the Year of Quality. We need to fill this peaceful, calm Belarusian life on this small island where we live today with high quality. Make people happy. Waking up in the morning and going to bed, putting your kids to bed, so that people are happy, so that they are proud of their lives... 

I’ll say it tritely, but you will agree with me: everything depends only on us. Only on us! As well as on me, of course, but quality life is impossible without you. Therefore, we need to add quality to this peaceful, calm, creative life. And then everything will be fine for us,” the Head of State said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that he often sets only one main task for the government: ‘give me the economy, the rest is up to me’. The same applies to development at the regional level.
We need to make every effort so that we can not only produce goods (and economics means producing and selling), but do it with high quality. So that our product can be bought even better than today.
The President added that we must live the coming year with dignity and show that the Belarusian people are the masters of their land. 
“We are standing on the threshold of a generational change, when everything that has been done, not today or tomorrow, we will have to pass on to the younger generation — our children. 

This year will be very difficult. They will train on us. And we need to persevere. They will train for future presidential elections. And we need to pay special attention to young people who did not see difficult times both during the Soviet period and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They did not experience what the middle and older generations experienced. We need to tell them about this, we need to show them so that they value what we have acquired through our labour. We need to do everything so that we live this year with dignity and, approaching the main event, show ourselves with dignity. That we are the masters of this land, we, the Belarusian people, who have suffered and endured in our history, have the right to live according to our own laws,” the President explained.

In communication with parishioners of the temple, Aleksandr Lukashenko promised to do everything to preserve the village, without which there would be no state. 
“Even in this rural church, I want to say two words about the village. You see that in these difficult times we are doing a lot to preserve the village,” the President noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that states that destroyed the village have no future.

“If we lose the village, we will lose the state. It simply won’t exist. Therefore, I promise you that as a person who grew up in a village, knowing the life of a rural person, the difficulties and difficulties, I will do everything to save our village. So that the village — today it is the breadwinner of our people, the foundation of our state — is strong, powerful and prosperous.

This does not mean that we will forget the cities — this is the industry. Without it, the same village cannot develop. We will do everything to develop our economy. We have everything for this, despite difficult times,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured.
The Head of State thanked the Primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Veniamin, and all the clergy for the acts they perform in the name of the Belarusian people, state, church, and in the name of the life of Belarusians.
Addressing parishioners and residents of all Belarus, the Head of State wished them, first of all, health, because everything else can be achieved with one’s own labour.


Aleksandr Lukashenko donated the Our Lady Derzhavnaya Icon of the Mother of God to the temple. The work was done in the traditional style of the Belarusian school of icon painting, using a unique wax tempera technique.
The President was presented with an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This is one of the most revered saints, who was nicknamed the Wonderworker during his lifetime. 

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, met with Belarusians who are preparing to fly into space

The main participant in the upcoming space flight, Marina Vasilevskaya, and the backup, Anastasia Lenkova, came to the Palace of Independence to meet with the Head of State. The girls are trained at the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Centre. The space flight is expected to take place this year.
Aleksandr Lukashenko congratulated the space programme participants on the New Year and Merry Christmas, presenting flowers and wristwatches.
“Well, shall we fly? Or have you changed your mind?” the President asked.
The girls confidently answered that the plans remained the same and the flight into space would definitely take place.
“But we will wait for you here,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The President clarified whether the main participant and the backup are being trained according to the same programme. And indeed it is.
“The most important thing is that there is no jealousy. You won't be lost anyway. You were chosen out of millions of girls,” the Head of State admonished. 

More than Br745,000 have been allocated from the Special Fund of the President of Belarus to encourage talented pupils and students, as well as to provide material support to intellectual and creative associations

The relevant decision of the Special Fund Council was approved by a decree signed by President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The winners of the international Olympiads and competitions have been awarded 25 grand prizes and the Laureate of Belarus’ President Special Fund for Social Support of Talented Students badges. In addition, 278 special awards have been bestowed upon the winners of the republican Olympiads and competitions.
A scholarship of Belarus’ President has been awarded to 180 students and cadets of higher education institutions for their special achievements in studies, research and creative activities.
In addition, in order to strengthen the material, technical and methodological base, a financial support has been rendered to the Alye Pogony [Scarlet Shoulder Straps] search club of the Gomel Cadet School and the Sotsium [Society] student research laboratory of the Belarusian State University.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by

Photos by belta