Opinions & Interviews

According to the Minister, the Flowers of Great Victory project was started in Belarus in the year of the 70th anniversary of Great Victory, on the initiative of the BRSM Youth Union, to pay respect to the defenders of the native land. “We achieved the victory together and the projects like this should be continued. Perhaps other CIS countries will have their own Flowers projects,” Lilia Ananich noted.

According to Lilia Ananich, it is symbolic that this year the Great Victory Through Unity forum is held in Belarus, a country which knows the cost of peace achieved in the Great Patriotic War. “It was here, in Belarus, that the Nazis felt the power and might of the Soviet people. It was the unity of our nations that saved the world from fascism,” the minister said.

She drew attention to the fact that Belarus pursues a peaceful policy and thus shows the desire to have good-neighborly relations with all states. “It is very important that Great Victory should remain the cornerstone of the construction of sovereign Belarus, the foundation of the upbringing of the younger generations because the witnesses of that war are, unfortunately, getting fewer,” she said.

Lilia Ananich also considers it important that the message of the forum should be heard outside Belarus. “It is important to be together defending the historical truth, resisting the attempts to falsify the history,” she noted. According to the Minister, in this regard, Belarus has always showed a good example which is translated into numerous publishing projects, work with media, the attitude to the historical heritage and the memory of the war.

“Patriotism should manifest itself in deeds, in love for the country, respect for the older generations. The most important thing is to live in peace and contribute to peace,” the minister noted.

The international forum Great Victory Through Unity is running in Minsk from 27 to 29 April. The forum gave start to a new stage of the BRSM Youth Union nationwide patriotic project Flowers of Great Victory.

Among the events are themed interactive platforms, a presentation of the Brest Military and Patriotic Club Garrison with a demonstration of photo albums from search operations, weapon dummies and other artifacts, and also the photo exhibition Moments of Victory.

The project will be held throughout the country until 3 July. One of the major events will be the open air event Flowers of Great Victory. Its interactive exposition will take place in Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk on 8 May. The event will include presentations from every oblast and Minsk, theater shows, mobile museum expositions, exhibitions of reconstructed military hardware, vintage cars.