Meeting with representatives of different nationalities living in Belarus

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with representatives of different nationalities living in Belarus on 12 September.

"I often have to meet different people. Since Soviet times, I am not used to divide them according to their nationalities. It does not matter to me where someone was born. First of all, I value decency, kindness and commitment in people. The sense of national superiority is alien to Belarusians, as they know very well what it means to have to defend one’s culture and faith," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President emphasized that Belarusian people do not support the idea of titular nation. Belarusians have no experience of division of people into citizens and non-citizens based on nationality, as some of the neighbors do.

"The idea of national unity permeates our entire history. People who fled from religious wars, feuds and persecutions have found shelter here for centuries. During the days of hardship they united with the local population, stood up against the enemies, defeated them and jointly built their own Belarusian happiness. This is the key to understand the life in our country,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that it was not by chance that the meeting took place ahead young yet very important national holiday - Day of People’s Unity.

“Maintaining interethnic peace is one of the priorities of the state policy, and we are proud of it. The Constitution of our country guarantees foreign citizens and stateless persons the same rights and freedoms as citizens of our country have,” the President emphasized. “Everyone has the right to preserve their national identity, while insulting national dignity is prosecuted by law”.

“Representatives of 156 nationalities work, start families and raise children on the Belarusian land in peace and harmony in the spirit of good neighborliness. Here they all become ours, and even mine, as I often say - my Russians, my Ukrainians, my Poles. It has always been the way and it will always be so,” the Belarusian leader said.

The head of state said that more than 600 years ago Jews came to the territory of modern Belarus. Being persecuted in various parts of the world, they found the opportunity to live freely and peacefully here.

“Up to the Great Patriotic War they were second only to the indigenous population in terms of numbers. The Belarusian land became the cradle for three Presidents of the State of Israel: Zalman Shazar, Chaim Weizmann, Shimon Peres - remember these names,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

Simultaneously with the Jews, the Tatars came to the Belarusian land. “Unique people: brave, fair, with a fighting spirit. They came to us in peace - at the invitation of local princes to help protect our lands. Having forged swords into plowshares, the Tatars made a great contribution to the development of material and spiritual culture of Belarus. Today the town of Ivye, one of the centers of their residence, is rightfully famous for its success in the economic and spiritual realms,” the President stressed.

According to him, representatives of Azerbaijan are also successfully settling down in Belarus. Wrestler Kamandar Madzhidov, judoka Natik Bagirov and many others glorified the country with Olympic and world achievements.

“The Armenian diaspora occupies an important place in our country. Suffice it to say that one of the first leaders of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was Armenian national Alexander Myasnikov (Miasnikian). Multinational Dagestan in Belarus is represented by 17 nationalities. We have given an opportunity to start a new, peaceful life to the citizens of Afghanistan, Palestine, where armed confrontation and bloodshed have not stopped for many years. Examples of people from every corner of the globe finding a second homeland in our country are many,” the Belarusian leader said.