Solemn meeting on occasion of Belarus’ Independence Day

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Independence Day has become the symbol of a free and peaceful life, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in his speech at the solemn meeting on occasion of Belarus’ Independence Day on 2 July.

“We are celebrating Independence Day, the day that has become the symbol of our free and peaceful life. Belarusians were unanimous in their choice when over 20 years ago they chose 3 July, the day of the liberation of Minsk Hero City from the Nazis, as the country’s main national holiday,” the head of state said.

During the Great Patriotic War, in 1944, the battle to liberate the capital of Belarus turned decisive in the fate of the country’s people, Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“The history of statehood is related to the Soviet period. Almost a century ago, with the birth of the BSSR, Belarus first acquired a legitimate political and legal status,” the Belarusian leader said.

He noted that then the country had its national symbols, institutions of higher education. “The voice of the native language became more pronounced. The world maps marked the first territorial boundaries of the Belarusian republic that were nearly razed during Hitler's invasion,” the President said.

Speaking about the events of the Great Patriotic War, the president stressed that the Belarusian people, in unity with other peoples, managed not only to survive but to win and show an example of the great power of the unity and cohesion of nations. “They performed the Great Feat and continued to perform it throughout the difficult postwar period. Belarus was restored from ruins and ashes by people from all over the Soviet Union who came to live and work here. Many of them started families here, built houses and found a second homeland. They put down roots of a new postwar generation,” the head of state said.

“All this has truly bound our people with the nations of the Soviet Union. This is why  ‘friendly nations’ are not mere words or a metaphor for the Belarusians. This Slavic unity will never be broken or defeated by anyone!” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“Keeping the Belarusian land beautiful and free is a holy duty we owe to the generations who gave us peace and freedom and is our primary obligation to children and grandchildren. I am convinced that our inner spiritual potential is enormous. It helped the Belarusians in modern history too when we got the opportunity to establish an independent state without wars and bloodshed,” the Belarusian leader noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that the people of Belarus have managed to improve the economy after the decline of the perestroika period, to go through the world's crises, become stronger and make sure that choosing honesty, justice, equal rights and opportunities as the main principles of the Belarusian state was right. “Our history once again showed that there are no former winners. We just need to remember this and believe in ourselves. Our independence is first and foremost in the mind of everyone,” the Belarusian leader underlined.