Conferment of state awards

At the heart of the Belarusian sovereignty are people who do their work conscientiously and honestly every day, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he presented state awards on 27 June.

“Presenting awards in the run-up to the main public holiday is particularly symbolic and remarkable. After all, when we talk about the country’s independence, we imply people. Our sovereignty is about people who do their work every day, conscientiously and honestly: they maintain peace and order in their native land and serve as an example of courage and devotion to duty; they strengthen economic stability, work at enterprises, construction sites, scientific laboratories, farms and fields; they provide social support working in healthcare, education and public associations; they shape the country’s image with their sports achievements and victories,” the Belarusian leader underlined.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, recognition finds those who work to the benefit of the Homeland, those for who the highest reward is the results of their work. “Such people, dedicated and passionate about their work, true professionals and real patriots, are here now. You are a tower of strength for our state. Being an example to others, you do much more than commendation lists can say. You are the best example of excellence and personal success for those who are next to you. It means, you make a difference,” the President said.

He thanked the attendees for their professionalism and active citizenship and wished them good health, happiness and well-being.

State awards, including orders, medals and honorary titles, were bestowed upon representatives of all walks of life in recognition of their many years of fruitful work, exceptional professionalism and dedication, courage and determination in crime prevention and combat, achievements in agriculture and construction industry, a considerable personal contribution to the development and upgrade of military and special-purpose machinery, development of the power engineering system, light industry, healthcare, trade, science, culture and sport.

Among the awardees of the Order for Service to the Motherland, 3^rd Class, are Deputy Chairman of the State Border Committee Igor Pechen and First Deputy Emergencies Minister Alexander Khudoleyev.

The Order of Personal Bravery was bestowed upon First Deputy Head of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee – head of criminal police Alexander Vasiliyev. His professionalism, self-possession, exceptional courage and bravery helped save hostages and detain the armed criminal who attempted to rob a bank in Mogilev on 20 November 2017.

The Order of Honor was presented to a large group of people, including senor coach of Belarus’ national freestyle wrestling team, three-time Olympic champion, many-time world champion Alexander Medved.

The same award was presented to Director of the Kvasevichi company Viktor Alekseyuk, tractor driver/machine operator of the Ovsyanka company Nikolai Demenkov, Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Branch of the Belarusian Union of Afghanistan War Veterans Valerian Matskevich, Director of KB Radar (the managing company of the holding company Radiolocation Systems) Igor Sadovsky, Director of 140 Repair Plant Alexander Churyakov, chief of the court of Mogilev District Olga Klekovkina and many others.

“Sometimes, though not often, we hold such big events and this hall, built by the hands of our people, as well as the entire Independence Palace are filled with a special atmosphere. This lasts longer than one day for me. It cheers me up and gives energy to work the way you do. When one is healthy, the work brings joy and the mood is always great. When health is gone, it is hard to think about work. Therefore, I wish you, first of all, good health. You are the asset of our nation that will benefit the generations to come. They will look up to you and want to be like you. Live long and aspire to new heights!,” the head of state said.

Apart from receiving the awards, the attendees took a tour of the Independence Palace.