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29 Oct 2018

Lukashenko meets with BRSM Youth Union core group

Lukashenko meets with BRSM Youth Union core group

MINSK, 29 October (BelTA) – The meeting of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko with activists of the BRSM Youth Union, the continuators of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol) is taking place in the Palace of Independence in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

The head of state said he brought his Komsomol membership card to the meeting. “Our meeting here, in the Palace of Independence, is a tribute to those young people who died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, to the feat of labor that their generation accomplished. Thanks to them, we have built our sovereign Belarus,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

The president called the centenary of the Komsomol a significant day for the veterans of the organization and also today's youth who continue the traditions of the biggest youth movement. “Seeing you, the successors of the youth union, is like going back to my youth. This holiday brings back the best memories for me, as the Komsomol is the youth and an unstoppable energy, the time of a noble desire to change the world for the better,” said the head of state

“In that respect nothing has changed today. We want to change this world in a different way, maybe using some other methods than before. But we want to change this world for the better. This is the main task of our youth,” the Belarusian leader said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that the history of the establishment and development of the organization was far from being romantic: “First Komsomol members were the children of the revolution, the terrible civil war (on the territory of Belarus as well), the complex era, that neither scholars or politicians can still give unambiguous assessment”.

“But Komsomol members gave us the examples of selfless devotion to the motherland and sincere faith in the ideals of justice and fairness, which are exemplary and deserve to be encouraged,” the president stressed.

Alexander Lukashenko said that at the beginning of the last century youth helped revive the country. People worked and lived in the most difficult conditions. “But there was enthusiasm. There was a sincere desire to become useful for the homeland, take responsibility for its future. Young people of that time thought little about financial benefits. It was a truly patriotic movement,” said the Belarusian leader.

“No matter how much someone would like to distort the history, or interpret it in a different light, this history is supported by real facts, figures, and documents,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Alexander Lukashenko added that the Komsomol and youth movement was often subject to criticism: “I also criticized our Komsomol leaders for some over-organization, formalism, and so on.” The head of state said that he himself had been engaged with the Komsomol for several years.

“There are objective and subjective reasons for mixed feelings towards our organization on part of some people. There will always be all kinds of attitudes. That's for sure. And the fact that not all perceive it positively should be treated calmly,” the Belarusian leader noted.

Some polar views exist due to the fact that there is a struggle for the minds of young people who will live and work not only in Belarus but also abroad. “Just do not lose your roots,” the president said.

Alexander Lukashenko also offered some advice to the youth. “As president, I want you to refrain from neither left nor right. I want you to live, to create families, raise kids. In this turbulent time, you should stick to calm centrist positions in order to stay afloat,” the head of state noted.

The president also urged young people not to make the mistakes for which they will be sorry afterwards and which cannot be corrected.

The event is held to mark 100 years of the Komsomol, with is directly linked to the history of the Komsomol movement in Belarus, and the development of the country as a whole. During the war years, members of the youth movement actively assisted the state in economic and cultural construction and the fight against chaos. They heroically fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. For courage, commitment and heroism shown by Komsomol members and youth of Belarus in the ranks of the Red Army and partisan units in the fight against the Nazi invaders, the Lenin Komsomol of Belarus received the Order of the Red Banner on 22 September 1945.

Later, thousands of young Komsomol members participated in the construction of the Bereza and Lukoml state district power plants, Grodno-based Azot Production Association and the Svetlogorsk Synthetic Fiber Plant, the Polotsk and Mozyr Oil Refineries, the Belarusian Tire Plant and the Brest Carpet and Cloth Factory, three potassium plants in Soligorsk. They also helped with the reclamation of lands in Belarusian Polesye. Belarus’ Komsomol members took part in the construction of housing and cultural facilities in Western Siberia, the Urals, Karelia and Yakutia, and also the construction of VAZ, KamAZ, and the Baikal-Amur Mainline.

The event in the Palace of Independence has also featured an exhibition organized in the form of interactive platforms. The exposition highlights the activity of the BRSM Youth Union nowadays. The president will speak with winners of the national youth competitions and projects, the best representatives of student and youth teams.

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