Opinions & Interviews

Opinion: Alley of Friendship in Minsk commemorates contribution of CIS countries to Victory

MINSK, 2 July (BelTA) – The Alley of Friendship in Minsk is a symbol commemorating the contribution of the CIS countries to the Victory, Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said as he took part in a ceremony to open the alley in the Victory museum and park complex in Minsk on 2 July, BelTA has learned.

“In the CIS this year has been declared as the year of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A lot of events are held in the CIS countries. We have just witnessed the opening of a large memorial in Rzhev with the participation of the presidents of Belarus and Russia. We also consider this alley as a monument to the contribution of Belarus and all CIS countries to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is natural to remember those who defended the independence of the Soviet Union. It is deeply symbolic that today, in the run-up to the day when Belarus was liberated from the Nazi invaders, we are opening such a monument - the Alley of Friendship here,” Sergei Lebedev noted.

The chairman of the CIS Executive Committee stated that this is a significant event for all CIS countries. “You know, the CIS Executive Committee is headquartered in Minsk. We informally consider Minsk as the capital of the CIS. This is why it was natural to plant such an Alley of Friendship here,” Sergei Lebedev concluded.

The Alley of Friendship was an initiative of the CIS Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives implemented with the support of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minsk city administration. “We work together as a single international team of the CIS Executive Committee. Our task is to preserve and strengthen our common friendship. I think that Minskers and visitors of the Belarusian capital, when coming here, will recall both the heroes of the war and the great contribution of our peoples to the common Victory,” Sergei Lebedev noted.

Sergei Lebedev stressed that the Belarusian land is sacred. “When I first came to Belarus, my innermost desire was to go see the Brest Fortress and Khatyn. My family and I visited these holy places and paid our tribute,” he said.

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