Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarusians have been going towards independence for over 1,000 years

MINSK, 2 July (BelTA) – Belarusians have been going towards their own independence for over 1,000 years. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during a solemn assembly held on 2 July ahead of Independence Day, BelTA has learned.

The head of state stressed that Independence Day is the key state holiday. It has become a symbol of the freedom of the Belarusian nation, which defeated death in the most dreadful war in the history of mankind.

“Yes, Belarusians have been going towards their own independence for over 1,000 years. It was a path of struggle nearly at all times starting with ancient history. A struggle with the severe climate to achieve a good harvest, a struggle with conquerors for the land, a struggle with oppressors for freedom, a struggle with invaders for faith, culture, and traditions,” the Belarusian leader noted.

But the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 became a war of survival, a war to define the existence of the nation, a war for the Belarusians’ place in history, for the place of the young Soviet republic on the world map, the head of state stressed.

“The years of occupation vividly and brutally demonstrated the true sense of such notions as safety, freedom, sovereignty, and independence. These values could have been lost forever but they were regained the day our capital city of Minsk was liberated,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “It’s been nearly four generations of Belarusians since then. But the memory of the heroes who gave us the future lives on in our hearts. The memory is full of pain but there is even more pride in it. It contains the recognition of the fact that all of us, modern Belarusians, have the gene of the winners.”

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