News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) – Minsk took over the international Victory relay race along the CIS borders to mark the 70^th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The solemn events took place at the Victory Memorial in Minsk on 9 February, BelTA has learned.

“Today on the sacred place for all our citizens, Victory Square, we confirm that our duty is to protect our fundamental values. Let the relay race continue making its contribution to preserving and strengthening our main value, the unity and cohesion of the peoples, while its symbol will take along the CIS external borders the idea of peace and concord, cooperation and mutual assistance as a reliable foundation for wellbeing of any country,” Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Colonel General Leonid Maltsev said.

According to the State Border Committee, the relay race has become a good tradition. This year it is one of the first big events in the CIS to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Victory. Nine CIS countries are taking part in the relay race. The initiative has also been supported by Mongolia.

The relay team of the State Border Committee consisting of six people and being led by Colonel Sergei Kosachuk has already passed the Brest, Pinsk, Mozyr and Gomel borderlines. It will then go to Grodno and Vitebsk Oblasts. The relay race will be passed to Russia on 18 February 2015. The event will be completed in May 2015.

Attending the solemn meeting in Minsk also was Pavel Skalaban, head of the main department for ideology, culture and youth affairs of the Minsk City Council, retired Major General Nikolai Kokhan, Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Border Service Veterans, and bishop Sergiy Kuzmenkov, Chairman of the synodic department on cooperation with the Armed Forces. The participants of the event laid wreaths to the Victory Memorial.